


Highgate

by Gmni76



Series: Future War [2]
Category: Terminator (Movies), Terminator - All Media Types
Genre: Action & Romance, Emotional Roller Coaster, Established Relationship, F/F, G!P Grace Harper, Life in the Apocalypse, Porn With Plot, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sex, Slow Burn, Trust me i know where I'm going
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-22
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:54:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 56,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24314611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gmni76/pseuds/Gmni76
Summary: "I tried to hold on to some kind of dignityToo long I waded through a vast and endless seaThinking, I could find the secret there withinBut I gave up, didn't I?It seemed the only wayRuins, all the things we built assured that they would lastEnding months ticket stubs and written notes and photographs."-First Aid KitA sequel to Ouroboros.
Relationships: Grace Harper/Dani Ramos
Series: Future War [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1764226
Comments: 28
Kudos: 55





	1. Ruins

Legion grew more aggressive after the event at the Mississippi River in the summer of 2036. The Shove, the name given to the Resistance operation to take back supply lines to the East, had hammered the machines away from the water and the highways surrounding St. Louis, Missouri. Victories in the North, along the Canadian border continued happening after the Resistance offensive. Communications with northern outposts in Toronto, Winnipeg, Regina, Calgary, and Vancouver had been re-established. Humanity had begun working together again on a larger scale than since Judgement Day. People everywhere were fighting the machines. Schools were set up to teach the children about the death of the world, and humanity’s rebirth in the ashes. Training districts were founded all over the northern continent to prepare new recruits for combat against Legion. 

The south, near the Gulf of Mexico had not fared as well in the months after The Shove. Once the battle was over, Legion concentrated its southern forces at Corpus Christi, Texas, and burned the city to the ground, with everyone in it, including Master Gunnery Sergeant Lucinda Craine. Legion was known for acts of revenge, brutal and relentless. Fort Bliss came under attack more than once, forcing the Resistance out for good that autumn. Most soldiers scattered in the final assault on Fort Bliss. Some managed to stay together, running for their lives to the north. Commander Ramos’s last order before leaving Texas was to regroup in the North, amassing forces under Jay Yellow Bear’s temporary command. The Resistance would need a stable commander while Dani was on the run. 

Dani and Grace were no exceptions to the sudden flight from the base. Commander Ramos had vowed to the people that they were finished running from the machines. Unfortunately, that is exactly what they had to do when Legion showed up with a new line of Rev-9 models. The Resistance 1st Ranger Division, commanded by Lt. Grace Harper kept a close watch on Commander Ramos. 17 highly skilled, lethal soldiers acted as a personal guard detail to the commander, ensuring her escape from Fort Bliss. Legion had created a personal vendetta against Commander Daniella Ramos. They were hunting her down and wouldn’t stop until her voice was silenced. 

The exodus to the North was long and cold. Not everyone in the party would make it. Fair weather through the length of New Mexico instilled the soldiers with a false sense of security. The Rangers took the straight shot north, through Colorado. When the weather cooperated, they could fly, having made it out with two helicopters, and a personnel truck. For all their training and supplies at Fort Bliss, the Rangers were seriously outmatched by any Legion forces. They just tried to hide. The Western states of Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana were sparsely populated before the war. Legion did not find the area to be of any strategic value once the western nuclear missile silos were emptied. Humanity had done them a favor by firing their last lines of defense on Day 2. That was one thing that the Rangers had on their side. Although Legion was hunting Commander Ramos, the machines did not know they were in one of the most unhospitable places in the country. Legion kept watch on major highways running parallel to the Rocky Mountains, surveying major cities and metropolitan areas, few as they were. 

Grace had been intimately reminded of how the Carlsbad Rangers operated before moving to Fort Bliss. They still had Equalizers obtained from Fort Bliss, and plenty of ammunition in the personnel truck. They camped outside quite often, seeking shelter from the elements wherever they could gain a foothold. Grace Harper was in her element out in the open. She knew how to navigate by the stars, how to start fires, how to stay warm by using what was around her. Of course, none of this was ideal for anyone involved, but it was necessary. Dani had backed off from Grace ordering everyone around all the time. She quickly understood that if they were going to make it anywhere near the Canadian border, they’d have to follow Grace. 

The first leg of their journey involved getting through New Mexico as fast as they could. With only two choppers and a truck, that journey took almost two days. The vast expanse of the Southwest was flat and even, putting the Rangers at a disadvantage of being seen by Legion forces. Once they reached Mesa Verde, Colorado, in the southern end of the state, they took shelter inside the National Park. This was the beginning of the mountainous terrain they would have to navigate for the foreseeable future. The area was wooded, difficult to access, and basically invisible from the air. 

One afternoon, upon their arrival, Grace found a little welcome center for the once widely visited tourist attraction. She had heard about Mesa Verde in school, before Judgement Day. She didn’t remember much about it, other than Native Americans built cliff dwellings there. She had never seen them before. This wasn’t a sight-seeing trip for the Rangers. They really could not risk time and soldiers to go find the ruins from a time before the ruins that remained now. According to the little map she found at the visitor center, they actually weren’t far from a place called Cliff Palace. The faded photo in the torn brochure showed a whole city built into the side of a rock face. Grace marveled at the ancient technology. An entire city was carved out of stone. She wondered how long it must have taken them to create that. It was well over 800 years ago. Grace knew they did not have modern, or even post-modern technology to create something on this scale. She wondered why anyone would choose to live there. Could it have been a defensive maneuver against an unknown enemy? Were they running from something? It all felt too familiar. Grace decided that if everything went as planned, they’d swing by the ruins in the morning on their way out of camp. Why not? They could all learn a thing about humanity’s history, and maybe even feel a connection to it. 

Grace broached the idea to Dani later that night, when they were rolling out their bedding in Grace’s old canvas tent. The wind whipped through the trees. The rain from the evening pattered softly down on the roof, quieting into the gentle hush of a light snowfall. Grace and Dani were lucky to sleep alone. That was a perk of being the Commander. Dani’s reasoning was that two deaths were better than ten if Legion attacked them in the night. Mostly, she just liked having some private space to share with the Lieutenant. 

“So, I was out looking at the area today, and I found this.” Grace handed the visitor’s brochure to Dani. “I thought maybe, if everything goes smoothly in the morning, we could stop there for a few minutes. 

Dani looked at the photos, running her thumb over the dusty, dirty images. “Cliff Palace! Home to the Ancestral Puebloans!” It read in block, black lettering. She folded the brochure out to look at the additional information inside. The paper had been wet at one point and was falling apart in Dani’s hands. 

“Grace, it’s just a memory. From a time that nobody remembers. Why do you want to go see this?” 

Grace paused, considering her next words carefully. She took the brochure back from Dani, folded it carefully and stuck it in her breast pocket. She took care to secure the button over it, protecting the paper as if it were treasure. “Because, Dani, those people built something special from the solid earth. They carved a city out of the rock with nothing but stone tools. Don’t you see? That’s us now. 800 years later, carving out our place with nothing but sticks and stones. It’s...inspirational.” Grace almost managed a smile at the brunette commander. 

“It might not even be there anymore, my love.” 

“It’s there.” Grace’s voice was barely audible. Her feelings were hurt. 

Dani sighed, reached out for Grace’s hand. “Ok. If everything goes smoothly in the morning, we’ll hike down there. The paper said it’s only two miles away. Maybe we can find a fuel station to siphon gas. The helicopters won’t make it much farther, but we can hope to keep the truck running.” Dani, ever the pragmatist, always saw another goal that increased their chances of survival. 

The two shared a small meal of oats and granola. That was one thing the Rangers packed heavily into the truck. Everyone sat on 50-pound bags of either one or the other. It wasn’t a variety, but at least they’d be fed for a while. There was plenty of water between snow and small streams in the mountains. The water in that region had remained untouched, untainted by the chemicals and radioactive toxins left behind by Judgement Day. It was a goldmine of resources out there. Deer and small game might be plentiful. Grace had plans to hunt along the way, maybe even do some fishing if she could find equipment. She’d never fished a day in her life, but her father did, and Grace remembered that as one of her earliest memories. 

Dani broke their silence as they finished eating. “Grace, how far is it to Yellow Bear’s base?” 

Grace pulled out the old road atlas she’d been carrying since Fort Bliss. She hated how much space it took up in her pack, but it was necessary to navigate all the small roadways between El Paso and Montana. She laid it out on the floor of the tent between them, right side facing Dani, so she could see where they were. “Ok,” She pointed to the southwestern edge of Colorado. “We’re here, approximately. We have to go alllllll the way,” she dragged her finger up the map toward the edge of northern Montana, “here. The Northern Cheyenne Reservation area. That’s where Yellow Bear said to go.” Dani nodded, suddenly overwhelmed by the vast distance they’d have to travel, probably mostly on foot. It could take them months. The war could be over tomorrow. She could not handle it as it was. She’d been fighting machines since day one, and now she was a scared kid again, lost in the forest, being hunted by terminators. The only good thing was having Grace to protect her. Of course, having a large group of trained Rangers would help. But it was such a long way to go. She felt like her place in the Resistance was slipping. It’s not that she cared too much about losing command of everything. Only that she had worked so hard to get the Resistance unified right before The Shove. Now it seemed like it was all falling apart. 

Dani’s breath began to change, coming in faster and shallow. She felt her head swim with all the information, and lack of contact with the army. “Grace, what if this doesn’t work?” 

Grace lowered the flashlight that she was using to illuminate the map. She laid in in her lap, facing her, and leaned forward to take Dani’s hands in hers. “I know this isn’t great. It’s not what any of us expected, but Legion wants you dead, specifically. We have to do everything we can to prevent that. Yellow Bear knows you’re alive. We’ll get word to him every chance we get, Dani. There have got to be pockets of humanity along the way. Do NOT lose hope. We will make it. Juarez and Mexico City did not even need to send equipment to us after The Shove. We were just a convenient stop on the way. Actually, with Bliss bombed out, the southern cities can operate on their own. They can send supplies, equipment, soldiers, whatever, all the way up to Alaska if they want.” Grace did not know if that was true, but if Dani lost hope, then everything certainly would fall apart. “Dani, you can do this. You’ve been through a hell of a lot worse. This is just a hike.” 

A hike. Dani remembered the last hike she was on, and Grace ended up carrying her. She lowered her head, half looking at the map in the dark shadows thrown by the flashlight, half wishing Legion would just end it already. She breathed heavily, loudly. Her shoulders tensed. Grace could see the physical change in her partner even in the low light. She shifted her position to get them both into bed. She took her boots off and laid down, pulling Dani gently to join her. “There’s nothing to be done tonight, Daniella. Rest. We need sleep.” Dani laid next to Grace, resting her head on the blonde warrior’s chest. Dani was always impressed with Grace’s heartbeat. It was so strong and regular, a constant in the variable world she lived in now. She wrapped an arm around Grace, pulling herself closer to the warm body next to her, quickly drifting off to sleep. Grace reached up and pulled her boonie hat down over her eyes. “I love you, Commander. I’ll follow you through hell.” 

“We’re already there, Lieutenant.” Dani said sleepily. She felt Grace’s strong arms press tighter against her and knew she was not alone. 

The morning was cold. Dani could see her breath in the early morning light. She shivered next to Grace who was still fast asleep. She couldn’t figure out, ever, how a 125-pound woman was never cold. Grace had very little fat on her body and never wore more clothes than Dani ever did. Whatever her secret was, Dani did not really care. She just huddled next to the soldier for warmth until Grace woke up a few minutes later. 

The team met for breakfast around a fire. Equipment was packed and loaded. Sitting in the back of the truck was not convenient for everyone and all their equipment; but they managed, huddling together against the elements: wind, cold, rain, snow, loneliness. 

On Grace’s order, since everything had gone as planned, and they had some extra time, the Rangers who wanted to see it decided to hike together down to the Cliff Palace overlook. There wasn’t time or opportunity to hike all the way down into the ancient ruined city. But if they could just see it, Dani knew it would make Grace happy. 

The 2-mile hike took about fifteen minutes. The Rangers were fast. Dani had learned how to keep up with them over the last month. She’d dropped some weight, making her lighter on her feet. The hike was mostly downhill to get to the overlook. Dani wasn’t even sure what they were looking for, but Grace’s sense of direction never failed them and she found it easily. At the overlook was an old rusty telescope. It was the kind you could push a quarter into and get 5 minutes of viewing time. The canyon spread out before them was solid sandstone. The cliff face was dotted with tiny, carved out “houses”. That’s what the brochure called them. The one Dani was staring out at was called Kokopelli House. It looked to her like someone might be standing in it. A ghost. There were a lot of those since the fall of the world. Dani lost herself in her own thoughts, where ghosts haunted her dreams and waking life alike. She felt a hand on her arm as Grace turned her attention to the other side of the canyon. Down at the bottom was a huge collection of buildings carved directly out of the rock. It wasn’t a city by her own definition, rather a village. The construction of Cliff Palace was simply amazing. She listened to Grace tell the Rangers about how it was built over 800 years ago by people with stone tools. It was a feat unmatched by anything during that time in North America. Dani lost track of what Grace was saying, and just stared at the magnificent structure below. Over 100 rooms dug out of the side of a stone cliff. It was a city. Humans had created with this with literally nothing, Dani realized. This was a monument to human ingenuity and perseverance, something she needed a lot of right then. 

Dani felt all of her emotions begin to rise up to the surface of her; all her anger and rage at Legion, her love for her family (both old and new), and a renewed sense of hope for humanity and the Resistance. She turned to Grace, tears in her eyes, seeking the warmth and comfort of her partner right then and there. Grace took her into her arms, hugging her tight. “See? Totally worth the walk.” Grace whispered. Dani gently squeezed Grace’s muscular biceps and nodded against her chest. 

They did not linger. Once everyone saw what there was to see and understood the importance of it, the Rangers moved on. There was a lot of ground to cover quickly.


	2. Refinery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "If you were here in Starkville 
> 
> Townie boys would love the way you stare 
> 
> If you were here in Starkville 
> 
> Well the local girls they wouldn't have a prayer 
> 
> Well I've spent a reckless night inside the wonder 
> 
> Of your everlasting charm 
> 
> Now I'm haunted by geography and the flora 
> 
> And the fauna of your heart." 
> 
> -Indigo Girls

The Rangers lost both helicopters the second day out of Mesa Verde. There was no more fuel to be had anywhere around. Diesel was hard to find, or any fuel at all for that matter. The truck was running low also. The spare gas cans they brought with them, once full, were now dry as a bone. They had passed several service stations along the old forgotten roads, but every single one was empty. Others were just completely destroyed. It would have been a crap shoot anyway, finding fresh gas anywhere. Dani had known that fuel was stale after about 2 years. The only place they could get fuel now would be somewhere that people were operating refineries. Small scale operations were popping up more and more these days, but there weren’t any maps to get to them. It was just luck if they found one at all. Grace and her crew stopped at every abandoned vehicle and at least tried to turn them over. Mostly the batteries were dead, but those that remained would just sputter and die. The gas was no good. Dani did not want to leave the truck and all their supplies behind. It cut their chances of survival in half. 

Grace had decided to send the truck, and some soldiers on up ahead to scout out any nearby outposts or settlements. They were getting close to Montrose, Colorado. Before the war it had a population of almost 20,000 people. Grace could only speculate how many were left, if anyone at all. Walking would take them till after dark to reach the city, but it was their only hope of finding food, shelter, and fuel. At one point, the wind shifted from the east and Grace could swear she smelled crude oil in the air. That was a scent that you could not miss. The stink of sulfur and hydrogen sulfide gas, it smelled like rotten eggs. 

The Rangers came upon the truck, parked on the side of the road, just before sunset. The temperature was dropping fast. Grace and her team reunited with the rest of them at the vehicle, talking about what had been found. They were right outside of Montrose, but it looked suspicious. The Rangers had done some recon of the area, and all roads in and out were gated. They were guarded by men with guns. Whatever they had inside the city walls was worth protecting, or just keeping others out. Grace zipped up her field jacket all the way to her throat. “Commander, we need to either make camp around here, or proceed to town. It’s your choice. We need to find fuel and a way to contact Yellow Bear.” Grace was so matter-of fact in the way she relayed information to Dani. It gave Dani the sense that things were still being held together, even if only by a thread. 

“Ok, let’s go to town.” Dani didn’t need to decide this. Whoever was guarding the gates would have to let her in. It turned out to be a naïve thought. 

As the Rangers approached the front gates, Grace stopped dead in her tracks. She could see the heavy metal doors scavenged from garage doors and roofs. The main gate was lit by a large fire, and several men with rifles stood around joking. They were just out of range and Grace could not make out what they were saying. From her position in the rear of the group, however, she could see something was terribly wrong. She clicked her tongue three times, and then twice more to signal everyone to stop and get low. Ruiz repeated the order from halfway up. Like a group of ninjas, the Rangers moved as one unit, stopping without question and squatting to take cover. “What is it?” Dani whispered. 

Grace was staring, wide eyed at the front gate. Something was hanging from the center of it, on a large spike. It was a head. Or what was left of a head. Long, black hair hung off a partially decayed skull. “Skinners.” She whispered. Grace did not think they’d been seen. The men at the gate continued to laugh and talk. The Rangers needed to get the fuck out of there, Grace realized. She clicked her tongue once, signaling the group and Ruiz to repeat, that they were to fall back and Grace would lead them to the truck. 

As the group reformed back at the personnel truck, Grace, Ruiz, and Dani considered their options. They could not risk starting the diesel engine up right now. It was dark and too quiet. The noise would draw attention to them. Grace wanted to get as far from there as she could, for obvious reasons. A single group of cannibals might not pose much of a threat, but an entire town full of them? That was another story, one that Grace and the Rangers couldn’t afford to read. Dani recommended falling back to the fork in the road behind them about a mile away, and heading east toward Salida. Grace looked over the map with her. It would take them way out of their way, but that was alright with Grace. She could not put enough distance between herself and skinners. Plus, that was the direction Grace smelled the rotten eggs from. Maybe there’d be fuel that way. Dani recommended that they split up. Half remain with the truck and the supplies. Half made their way to Salida. Or they could just fire up the big rig and run like hell. Grace didn’t like either option, but Ruiz said it made sense because by the time the guards at the gate figured out what was going on, they’d be on the road already. 

That decided it. Everyone loaded into the back of the rig. It was a tight fit. Everyone was basically sitting on everyone else, on top of bags of food and equipment. Rangers were good like that though, huddling for warmth together. There wasn’t much concept of personal space between them. Dani sat on a bag of oats, between Grace’s legs, who was leaned back against the bed of the vehicle. In the darkness she could not see the soldiers around her. She could hear deep breathing and soft snores from some of them. Salida was still an hour away. Ruiz and another soldier sat at the tailgate, watching behind them for signs they were being followed. Dani felt her consciousness waning as the big truck bumped along the broken highway. It had been a long couple of days without much respite. She leaned back against Grace, laying her head on the young blonde’s chest. She couldn’t hear the strong beat of the heart that kept her going in times like this, because of the heavy bulletproof vest. An arm snaked around her shoulders and pulled her in tight, long and gentle fingers held Dani’s head securely. Dani crossed her arm that was turned toward Grace over her own chest, and laid her other hand on a muscular thigh. She felt Grace’s legs pull up, corralling her in a safe and comfortable pen of muscle and bone. Dani could feel Grace relax and fall asleep. That was something about Grace. When she fell asleep, every muscle in her body relaxed suddenly. Grace usually wore her tension all the time, but when she finally slept, it all melted away in a single breath. Trusting her safety to the Rangers keeping watch, Dani fell asleep. 

Salida, Colorado, was not a big town. The population had only been around 5000 at any given time. Grace woke up to the strong smell of rotten eggs. She gently woke Dani as they approached the town. There were no gates or armed guards. And one thing that Grace had hoped for stood proudly over everything. A working oil refinery. At least it was partially working. It smelled like the important parts were functioning. The good news was, they’d found fuel. The bad news was, they’d have to haul it to the truck because it was finally out of gas. 

The Rangers unloaded themselves, their packs, and gas cans. They decided to head directly for the refinery, hoping to find a front office with people in it. If there were working oil wells around, people would be working 24 hours a day. Dani hoped that they would just find some hospitality, and not be shot down or chased away. Some areas with fuel did not welcome strangers. The likelihood of someone throwing her to the machines was nil. Ultimately, everyone was on the same side now. It’s just that some people liked to be left on their own. 

The refinery was not overly huge. There was a partially broken sign out front reading “Deluca Propane Services.” That wasn’t exactly what they needed, but the times had changed places into more necessary operations. The light was on in the front office. Grace decided to try and get things going. 

The front door was locked. Grace pounded on it, hard, three times. An old man opened the door and eyed her under the light. “What? Who are you? What do you want?” Grace realized she was a stranger in a small town, suddenly at his door with weapons and a Resistance uniform. 

“Sir, we are with the Resistance 1st Ranger Division out of El Paso, Texas. My name is Lieutenant Grace Harper. We came from Fort Bliss. We are currently en route, north, to regroup with the rest of our battalion. Unfortunately, we’re out of fuel. Can you help us?” It was honest, without overstating who they had in tow, as in Commander Ramos. 

Dani stood with Ruiz and the rest of the Rangers, waiting for an answer. The man looked Grace up and down, and searched the rest of the crowd. “Well, you could just take whatever you wanted and go. You don’t have to ask me. Those guns would do all the talking.” The old man pushed his thick glasses up on his face. “The Resistance, huh? We don’t have too many of you around here. At least not till up till Fort Collins. Where’d you say you were from?” 

Grace was starting to lose patience. She liked to do things in a straightforward manner. She was also learning that you caught more flies with honey. “El Paso, Texas, sir. We were under attack from Legion forces and we had to leave.” 

“I see. I heard they killed the head honcho of the whole operation. What was his name? Ramos?” Dani could see that news did not travel well around here. 

“Her name. Her name is Commander Ramos, and our reports indicate she’s very much alive. You can pass that along.” Dani stepped forward and spoke. The old man looked her over for a few minutes, though Dani did not look anything like the fabled Commander he might have heard about. 

“What kinda fuel you need?” We’ve been operating quite a business out of here to supply Fort Collins and some outfits in Denver and Aurora.” The old man turned back into the office, allowing the Rangers to follow him. 

“Diesel, sir,” Grace explained. She just wished he’d hurry up and supply them with the fuel so they could get moving. Every time they stopped; Grace felt like a lame shit waiting to be stepped on. 

The old man, Ticky, he said his name was, told them to get enough fuel into the truck to bring it on in. Then he’d let them fill it, along with all the cans they had. Grace had talked him into supplying them with one more truck. It was parked out behind the building, looking like it hadn’t run in quite some time. “I don’t know what’s wrong with it, probably a dead battery, but if you can get it to run, you can have it. Ain’t doing anyone any good just sitting here.” Grace thanked him, and said she’d look it over in the morning. Ticky offered them a place to stay for the night. There was an old abandoned motel just out on the main drag. Since no one came through anymore, there was plenty of vacancy. 

“How many people are left here, sir?” Grace asked. 

“Not too many. A few families, lots of old people. And cats. Jesus Christ do we have cats in this goddamned town. Can’t swing a dead cat without hitting a cat.” Ticky might not have been joking, but Grace and Dani laughed anyway. 

After refueling the truck, it was almost midnight. Ruiz parked the truck behind the old motel, and each soldier buddied up with someone to sleep with. Grace had retrieved room keys from the abandoned front office. They grouped outside the motel, in the parking lot, to assign guard duty. Grace was on first rotation with a soldier named Daniels. Ticky had told them there was still running water in the town, thanks to the hydroelectric plant not far away in Cimarron. They didn’t have electricity most of the time, but they did have access to water being pumped in. He told them they could shower if they didn’t mind the cold. Dani had her share of cold showers, and was not feeling up to it. She wanted a bed and sleep. Grace thanked Ticky and he went on his way. 

Dani and Grace took the last room on the left side of the motel. There was a queen size bed and a tv that didn’t function. Grace dropped her pack on the floor and took her boonie hat off. Dani noticed how incredibly exhausted she looked. Dani immediately slipped out of her jacket and her bra, laid down on the bed, without taking her boots off. Grace walked over, leaned in and kissed her gently. She pulled back only inches, and Dani could still feel warm breath on her mouth. “Get some sleep, Dani. I’ll be back in a couple hours.” 

Dani nodded and rolled over, listening to the soft pop of the lock being engaged on the door. She was asleep before Grace’s footfalls were out of hearing range. 

She dreamed of something far away, warmer weather. She dreamed of fruit. Oranges. And she dreamed of her father. He was walking beside her along a rushing river. She could smell his aftershave and felt safe beside him. She dreamed of Diego and heard him singing to her but she couldn’t remember the words. She dreamed in Spanish. 

Dani woke a couple of hours later when Grace entered the room. She watched as the ranger laid her weapon down on the old dusty dresser in front of them. Grace sat in the chair beside the bed, unlaced her boots and took them off. She walked them back and set them beside the door. Dani studied the warrior every chance she could. There in the dark, she could just make out the outline of Grace, tall, thin, absolutely lovely in every way. Grace stripped off her field jacket and fatigue shirt, revealing a black service t-shirt underneath. Grace removed her hat and set it down by her shirt. “Come to bed, my lover.” Dani whispered, but Grace was already on her way. Dani pulled back the blankets, inviting her partner inside. Grace was shivering. The high altitude and mountain air were unreasonably cold, especially for September. Was it September? Dani never honestly knew. It was the best guess anyone had, keeping time after Judgement Day. 

Grace rolled up against Dani, pulling her close, trying to get warm. Dani faced her, wrapping her body around Grace wherever she could, allowing Grace to put one leg between hers, her arms right around her whole body. Dani reached down and lifted her shirt up over her breasts. Grace felt the move and followed suit. She never wore a bra, convinced her breasts were small enough not to need one. She leaned in and pressed herself against the warm skin of the commander. 

Dani felt Grace’s heartbeat again. She loved being so close to the young blonde. Every inch of skin contact raised Dani’s body temperature, and not just because of the heat generated between them, but because Dani always wanted Grace physically. She trailed gentle fingertips up Grace’s side, feeling her tight skin stretched over ribs. Grace was losing weight too, but she didn’t have a whole lot to lose in the first place. Dani worried for her. “Are you too tired, my love?” Dani asked, pressing her lips to the area of soft skin between Grace’s neck and jaw. 

“Never for you, Dani.” Grace shivered as Dani continued to kiss her way up the length of her jaw. Their lips met, softly, quietly, in the darkness. It wasn’t often they got real privacy anymore. They stripped down, only as much as necessary, to gain access to one another. Dani rubbed Grace’s semi-hard shaft, working the blonde’s erection to complete fullness. Dani kicked her pants off under the sheets, and pulled Grace’s down to her knees. Grace rolled over on top of her, kissing her gently. She knew they didn’t have to rush, but sleep was calling them both. Grace nudged Dani’s thighs apart, positioning herself closer. She guided herself up to Dani’s already moist entrance, and very slowly pushed inside. Dani reached her hand up to the back of Grace’s neck, and put one hand on the blonde’s back, gripping her tightly. Grace laid her full weight on Dani, looking her in the eye. There was a dim light outside from the refinery down the road. Dani could barely make out Grace’s features, but could always see her eyes in the dark. They held each other like that for a while, both of them loving the way they felt together in that moment. Grace leaned in a kissed Dani’s lips, running her tongue slowly through the space where Dani’s mouth was open. Dani opened her mouth further, letting Grace’s tongue slide up against hers. Their silent appreciation of each other’s bodies was only broken by mutual breathing that rapidly grew more labored. The intensity of Grace being inside Dani grew with every second that passed. Dani reached her hand down between them, finding her clit with two fingers. Grace knew it was time to start moving. She didn’t like Dani having to take care of herself like this. When they had ample time and space to be together, Grace liked doing everything Dani needed during sex. On the road, they were lucky to be together at all, and sleep was far more important most of the time. They talked about it once, coming to the understanding that this was acceptable under the circumstances. Grace tried to be as slow and gentle as she could, carefully pumping her hips against Dani’s, feeling the brunette clench and release around her. Their rhythm was flawless. Every time, when Grace got close to orgasm, she’d hold off until she felt Dani release. Only then would she let go. She was familiar now enough with Dani’s body. She could tell by her breathing, by the rush of heat between them, by Dani’s moans and soft cries that she was getting close. And every bit of it drove Grace over the edge with her. 

They redressed together in the darkened room, under the blankets. Grace laid on her back, looking up at the ceiling. “You know, Dani, the reason I like doing that with you isn’t always because you make me horny.” 

Dani rolled over, propping herself on an elbow, looking at Grace. “Oh? What other reason is there?” She was teasing the blonde a little, but deep down, Dani wanted to hear her say it. 

“Don’t get me wrong, I get hard when you’re even in the same room with me. But I like being with you like that... because... it keeps me close to you. I need to know you’re mine and I'm yours. And sex is so intimate, and I don’t ever want another partner. It’s only you. You changed my whole life, and I just want to show you how much I love you.” 

For once, Dani didn’t have words to counter Grace. She was dumbfounded right then. Grace had taken her breath away. She reached over and placed a palm over Grace’s heart, feeling it beating for her only. She breathed out, hard. She was always amazed how deep the love between them continued to grow. All she could do was lay herself down with warrior, safe for the night; under the watchful eyes of the Rangers.


	3. Road Trip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You can hide 'neath your covers and study your pain   
> Make crosses from your lovers, throw roses in the rain   
> Waste your summer praying in vain   
> For a savior to rise from these streets.” 
> 
> -Bruce Springsteen

Grace woke early, before sunrise. She never slept much on the road. She felt better knowing the group was safe rather than sleeping on someone else’s watch. She moved out of bed carefully, as not to roust the commander just yet. She dressed, put on her boots, jacket and hat, grabber her Equalizer and headed out to join the watch. 

It was so cold outside. She was not used to the thin mountain air. Her teeth began chattering almost at once. Amador Ruiz was sitting on a concrete parking beam a few feet away, holding his rifle across his lap. Grace moved to join him. He had a little thermos sitting beside him on the ground. And he was rolling a cigarette. “Jesus, Ruiz, did you go to town last night?” 

Ruiz laughed a little, licking the glue strip on the tobacco paper. He folded it over nice and even, as if he’d done it all his life. “Ticky came by, brought me a pouch of stale tobacco and some coffee. You want some?” 

Grace’s mood picked up with the thought of hot coffee. She hadn’t had a cup of coffee since before they left Fort Bliss. “Yes, please.” Her tone sounded too excited for her taste. She tried to hide that she was very happy about the score. Ruiz handed her the thermos. There was no cup to go with it, so Grace just unscrewed the top and carefully drank from it, hoping that first rush of fluid wouldn’t burn her mouth. It was actually almost too cold. But it was coffee. Ruiz rolled her a cigarette too. She hadn’t had one of those in years, since probably before she became a ranger at Carlsbad. She held the unfiltered cigarette between her fingers, noting how odd it looked. She wondered if she even wanted it at all. It was really more about bonding with Ruiz over something small. She lipped the paper and leaned in when Ruiz flicked the zippo, igniting a strong blue flame. She puffed the cigarette to life, taking a long draw. Every muscle in her body seized, she coughed, choked, spat, and coughed some more. Smoke rolled out of her mouth and nose, burning the sensitive passages on the way out. 

“Good, huh?” Ruiz puffed his cigarette with ease, laughing at Grace’s lack of experience. 

“Jesus Christ,” she coughed again loudly. “This shit’s terrible!” 

“Yeah, it’s old, but I couldn’t refuse the old man.” 

Grace tried again, but the result was the same. She just couldn’t smoke that. She stamped it out on the asphalt beneath her and handed it back to the other ranger. No sense in wasting it. “Did Ticky say anything else? Where to fuel up, or about the skinners?” 

“He said not to go that way, into Montrose, for sure. He said there were other skinner joints out there, but if we avoid the skulls, we’ll be fine. He said to stick to the road, fuck I can’t remember which one he said, but to head to Grand Junction.” Ruiz pulled deep on his cigarette, clearly enjoying it. “You can have the coffee. It doesn’t taste good to me.” 

Grace took the thermos in her hands, feeling residual warmth from it. “Let me go get my map. I’ll be right back.” She thought for a moment when she stood that the sun was starting to come up, but it was just a false dawn. They had about another hour before having to wake everyone up. Grace went back to her room, entered quietly and rummaged through her pack for the atlas. 

From across the room, she heard Dani shift under the blankets. “Hey, what’s happening?” Dani’s voice was sleepy and soft, and all Grace wanted to do was climb back into bed with her. 

“Nothing. Just hanging out with Ruiz for a bit. I brought you something.” Grace sat down on the edge of the bed and handed Dani the little thermos. “Coffee.” 

“Oh....yes.” Dani sat up and immediately unscrewed the cap. She began drinking like it was going out of style. “Oh, man. Coffee. You have no idea how much you miss a thing...” Her voice trailed off as she sipped again. Grace loved seeing her that happy, even if it meant giving Dani the one thing Grace was looking forward to. Dani handed the thermos to her, but Grace refused. 

“It’s all yours, Dani.” Grace leaned in and kissed her mouth. Dani pulled back and licked her lips, tasting the strong tobacco flavor and nicotine. 

“Have you been smoking?” She laughed because it was so weird. She’d never seen Grace smoke at all, or even talk about it. 

“Not successfully, no. Ticky brought the coffee and tobacco for Ruiz. I’m going back out to go over our next route with him. Just relax for a while. It’s not time to get up yet.” Grace stood, and walked out. Dani decided to finish the coffee, which was better than the crap they served at Fort Bliss, and join the rangers out front. She had to wonder if Grace had even slept. 

Grace and Ruiz studied routes to Grand Junction. Ruiz was pretty certain that Ticky told him to stay on highway 24 till it intersected with 82, then on to interstate 70 to Grand Junction. Grace agreed with everything up to taking the interstate. That would put them squarely on Legion’s radar. Also, they had to stay out of the city. She told him to come up with something else before they got there. Ticky also handed Ruiz a list of fueling stations and outposts that would help them along the way. 

“He knows Dani is the Commander. He said he knew last night when she stepped into the conversation.” 

“Is that a bad thing? Maybe it's good that people know she’s alive,” Grace suggested. 

“I don’t know, Harper. These people up here are different. This isn’t a strong Resistance area. There’s a lot of isolation here, lots of distance between towns. If I remember correctly, this is a heavily religious area too. Lots of... I don’t know who, but they’re like some weird sect of Christianity. They’ve got their own additional books with the bible. Plus, all the skinner locations. Ticky said there were more than just over in Montrose.” Ruiz looked worried. “We just need to keep her head down right now.” 

“Alright, let’s get moving. This is starting to creep me out.” Grace stood up, dusted the dirt off her butt, and turned around, nearly knocking Dani to the ground. “Hey, I suppose you heard all that?” 

“Most of it. You’re right. Let’s get out of here.” Dani agreed. The three of them split up to start knocking on doors. 

The Rangers mustered, piled into the truck and headed back to the refinery. Grace was going to try starting the other truck. The sun was coming up and they’d have enough light to check the engine. Grace hopped in the front seat. The keys were already in the ignition. She turned the key and nothing happened. It wasn’t even registering a charge. “Battery’s dead!” she yelled to Ruiz. He proceeded to look around the personnel vehicle for jumper cables. There was a large lock box on the side of the truck, full of tools and manuals, gloves, and deep down in the bottom, a worn out set of jumper cables. 

They attached them to the old pickup, creating life support from the large diesel engine. Ruiz revved it several times to give it some juice. After a few minutes, allowing the pickup battery time to charge, Grace tried the key again. The old Ford roared to life. “HAHA!!!” Grace yelled. Ruiz unhooked the cables and slammed the hood. Dani hopped into the truck, and slid across the bench seat beside Grace. Ruiz got in beside Dani, and the whole crew was off. The pickup had been fueled up by Ticky the night before. They were ready to cover as much ground as they could before anyone else figured out who and where they were. 

By midmorning, they were in need of refueling. According to Ticky’s list and the map, they were close to a place called Glenwood Springs. The old man wrote “hot springs” next to the name of the town. Ruiz read it out to the women next to him. Hot springs. Grace moaned, took the steering wheel with her knees and rubbed her face hard. “God, I’d love to go do that right now.” 

“What are hot springs? Am I the only one who doesn’t know?” Dani looked back and forth between Ruiz and Grace, suddenly reminded of another time she was in the middle of the seat next to Grace. At least they weren’t being chased by a terminator. 

“Hot springs. We’re getting closer to Yellowstone Park. Hot springs are pockets of groundwater that are naturally heated down deep in the earth. They’ll be getting more regular the closer we get.” Ruiz explained. 

“We can’t stop for that. We have to keep going, no matter what.” Grace insisted. Staying in one place too long was dangerous. They couldn’t even be sure if Legion wasn’t scouting them out right that minute. Dani stared out the front of the truck, watching bent mile markers fly by, as Grace sped along the broken highway. Grace was an excellent driver, and did her very best to miss the potholes. In a couple of spots, she had to drive down off the road into the gullies to avoid the spots where the road was washed out or broken. Dani noticed how beautiful the scenery was. There were trees everywhere, green all year round. The landscape was hilly. They were never on a flat plane. She felt her ears begin to pop every time the elevation began to increase. She was starting to get a headache. 

“A hot bath would be awesome, Harper,” Ruiz added, rolling another cigarette. We could stop for the night. 

“Shit. That does sound good, Grace,” Dani teased. She put her hand on Grace’s leg, squeezing gently, trying to persuade the soldier to give in. 

“No. It’s too close to the interstate and too close to the city. We keep moving.” 

Ruiz lit up his cigarette and rolled down the window. “Ok, you’re the boss.” 

Dani removed her hand from Grace. She knew the blonde was right, but she certainly didn’t like it. She understood the importance of staying out of sight and moving quickly through this part of the country. But she was also human. Grace knew she was probably just being stubborn. Legion wouldn’t hang around in areas that didn’t have much of a Resistance presence. Glenwood Springs would probably be just fine to stay the night at. Plus, she realized there were 13 soldiers behind her, huddled under the canvas canopy of a moving truck right now, all freezing to death. Every one of them would probably desert the Resistance for a chance at a hot bath. 

“Fine. Fuck it. We’ll stop.” And that was all Grace said. There was no argument, or counterattack. Dani could hear it in her voice though. She knew Grace absolutely objected to it, and would not relax herself until they were back on the road, putting more distance between them, the skinners, and the machines. 

Dani was pleased that she’d changed her mind, but could feel Grace’s state of unrest, and that made her nervous. Maybe a hot bath would help Grace to unwind a little bit. 

Glenwood Springs looked a lot like every other town they passed. It wasn’t a major city with huge skyscrapers. This area of the country was also eerily intact. Every ancient sign on the highway was propositioning travelers with a good meal and great hotel room from another time. The highway signs that still stood upright were faded; some were used for target practice. Grace wouldn’t mind target practice right now. She would love to blow a terminator right to hell. She hated feeling like this. She wanted to keep going, but her other two passengers expressed different desires. Going back on her decision made Grace feel like a poor leader. Being angry was just a cover for her insecurity. 

It wasn’t even 1400 hours when they stopped. There was plenty of daylight left and Grace felt like they were wasting it here. Grace took the main street through town. The whole place looked deserted. “Keep your eyes peeled.” She ordered. She slowed down to navigate through the overgrowth of small trees creeping up through the road. There was a dead body lying on the side of the road next to a fire hydrant. Abandoned cars lined both sides of the strip. Shop windows were broken out. “This isn’t a good idea.” Grace said, trying not to sound like a know-it-all. 

“Yeah, I don’t like it either, Harper.” Ruiz rolled up his window and locked his door. He pulled his rifle up onto his lap and cocked it. Dani did the same. Grace kept looking for trouble. She decided to turn around and head back out of town. When she turned the corner, the entire roadway was blocked by cars that seemed to be put there by someone. 

“Fuck.” Grace opened the driver’s door and yelled back at the personnel truck, driven by Daniels, to back up. She waited for him to get to a point where she could back up and turn. Instead, Daniels struck something hard behind him. Shouts came from the soldiers in the truck bed behind them. Shots rang out. “Shit! What’s going on!?” She yelled to Daniels. 

“Someone blocked us in! Take cover!” 

“Hang on!” Grace put the truck in drive and hit the gas, trying to gain speed and momentum to run right into the blockade in front of them. The old Ford flew right into the sides of two cars, effectively splitting them apart. Several people with guns opened fire on them as Grace sped through. “Get down!” She yelled, pushing Dani’s head down hard. Dani did not resist. She laid down as low as she could, while Grace mowed through the trap. She wasn’t sure if they were skinners or crazy religious zealots, but she wasn’t sticking around to find out. 

The personnel truck was following them. Grace could hear the roar of the diesel engine behind her. She lit out on the highway, interstate 70 until she could pull off again. They were on the highway for what seemed like hours. There were several bullet holes in the driver’s side window, but nothing had penetrated. “Is everyone ok?” She looked Dani over quickly, not wanting to take her eyes off the road. 

“Yeah, we’re good.” Ruiz answered. “What the fuck was that all about?” 

“I don’t know.” Grace shook her head and concentrated on the road, instead of thinking of some witty comeback. 

Grace pulled off the interstate at the next available exit, nearing a town called Rifle. It was on Ticky’s fuel list. They needed to regroup anyway. Grace decided they weren’t going to drive right in this time. They’d stop about a mile out and walk. Better to see trouble coming, she thought. 

She pulled the truck off the side of the road into a wooded area. She couldn’t be sure of what lay ahead. She turned the truck off, and heard the big diesel pull up behind them. Once its engine powered down, the quiet of the area was quite pleasant. There was a sound of water nearby, a stream, maybe. Some birds were chirping. In another life, this probably would have been an excellent camping area. Grace leaned her elbows on the steering wheel and held her head in her hands. She felt the palm of Dani’s hand resting on her shoulder. 

“Are you okay, Grace?” Her voice was soft and welcoming. 

“I’m just tired.” The truth was, Grace was hungry, and tired, and tired of running. 

The sound of giant fans pervaded every part of Grace. “Can this day get worse?” HK’s were in the air above them.


	4. Child Soldiers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "After the battle and we're still around 
> 
> Everything once up in the air has settled down 
> 
> Sweep the ashes, let the silence find us 
> 
> A moment of peace is worth every war behind us." 
> 
> -Emily Saliers

There were two Legion aircraft circling around. Perhaps the machines had been alerted to the high-speed movement on the old freeway. Grace had sped fast down the stretch of road, not knowing where else to go in the heat of the moment. It did not seem to matter where they went, nowhere felt safe. 

Grace reached beside her and grabbed her rifle and Dani too. She yanked the commander roughly by her shirt, across the bench seat, over the gear shifter, and out the driver side door. Ruiz was out and around the truck in an instant. Grace called to the Rangers, ordering them to find cover in the trees. She had Dani by the hand, hauling her up a small hill into the wooded area near them. She could hear the boots of soldiers on the ground, snapping twigs and kicking rocks. Ruiz was right behind her, pushing both women further in to the forest. 

The HKs made several passes over them, methodical and deliberate. Grace pulled the slide back on her assault rifle, ready to start shooting at anything that moved. The group found an area of fallen trees, taking cover among them. Dani was locked and loaded. Ruiz had his rifle trained on the sky above them. 

Grace looked around, waiting for the inevitable. She did a quick head count. They were missing three soldiers. She clicked her tongue softly, getting Daniels’ attention. She signed ‘3’ to him and pointed to the truck. Daniels shook his head and drew a line across his throat. Fuck, Grace thought. Three dead Rangers, no real firepower, and two circling sharks. 

The breeze felt good against her sweat-slicked face. The sun was shining down through the trees. There, in the half shade, Grace wondered if they could maybe stay there all day. In another life, perhaps. 

The shot rang out like a sonic boom. Every soldier in the company dropped flat, waiting for death to rain down. Grace watched the sky, as one HK began to billow smoke. Its engine whined and gears began to grind as the aircraft started to fall from the sky. A second shot sounded, like cannon fire. The second HK followed the first in its fate. Someone had just shot down two Legion machines. Grace could hear shouts and cheers coming from somewhere in town. Rev-7s were on the ground now, hunting them. 

Dani reached behind her and touched Grace on the arm. Grace leaned forward, her mouth right by Dani’s ear. “Don’t move.” She whispered, watching a single Rev marching less than ten feet away from them. The machines began to gather around the trucks, inspecting them for human survivors. One of the Revs spiked all three dead bodies in the truck at once, throwing them up and away across the road. Grace slipped her arm around Dani and pulled her down flat on her back behind a rotting tree trunk. The Rangers followed, prone and silent. 

There were shouts from the outskirts of the town. Grace could hear the revving of engines, motorcycles most likely. She raised her head a little to watch the scene unfold. About a dozen riders zoomed out toward the trucks, attracting the attention of the Revs. The machines moved as a single unit, now pursuing the human riders. Shots were being fired, seemingly in all directions. The firearms sounded like large caliber machine guns and anti-tank weapons. 

“Come on! Move your asses!” A voice called out to them from the direction of town. Grace looked back to see a teenage boy waving them forward. 

“Let’s go,” Grace called to the Rangers. Everyone stood, and ran. 

Grace and Dani followed the kid down the main street. In the hurried evacuation, Grace noticed that the business part of this town was small, but intact. The streets looked clean. There was a plaza on their right, and seated in the center was a Howitzer cannon. That must have been what they used to take out the HKs, Grace thought. She held Dani by the hand still, pulling her forward. They stopped in front of an old office building. The front door had a symbol painted on it in red. It took Grace a moment to register it. It was an ouroboros. 

“Get inside!” The kid yelled. 

The Rangers filed in, one at a time, down a long flight of stairs, into a basement beneath the brick building. It was dark. Grace couldn’t see anything. She held Dani close to her, ready to jump between her and anything that approached them. She heard a match strike on a hard surface, and a gentle flame sparked to life, as the kid lit an old camping lantern. He turned the flame up on it to light up the room. 

“Sit. Wait.” The kid instructed them. He could not have been any older than 17 years old. He set the lantern on a chair in the middle of the room and ran back upstairs, out the door, slamming it behind him. Grace looked around at the dimly lit area. They were standing in some kind of old storage room. Metal folding chairs lined one wall, along with several long, folded tables. Crates and boxes of things were stacked and scattered everywhere. Grace counted heads again. They were missing three soldiers. In the excitement, she couldn’t figure out who it was. 

“Daniels, report.” She ordered the young man to recount what had happened back at Glenwood Springs. 

“Fuck, L-T. I don’t even know. We were following you, then you were yelling at me to back up. I hit something and that’s when I saw about five guys with guns. The rangers in the back started shooting when those townspeople did. Three of us got it bad. We lost Schatz, Moore, and Ontiveros.” 

Great, Grace thought. Just fucking great. 

“Grace, is this a Resistance outpost? You saw the symbol on the door, right?” Dani looked around the room. Scared Rangers all stared back at her, looking for some direction. 

“I don’t know. It could be. Not officially, maybe.” She said, looking up the stairs, waiting for anything. 

The sound of faint gunfire echoed off the narrow hallway before them. The sound of an explosion rocked the entire building. Everyone ducked for cover, as the front wall of the building shattered inward toward them. Bricks, dust, debris and glass flew down the stairs at them. Dani reached out and grabbed the waistband of Grace’s uniform pants, pulling her out of the line of the blast. 

Grace suddenly was overwhelmed by the notion that they, highly trained combat soldiers, were hiding in a basement while a group of civilians were holding off Legion forces. “Fuck this,” she gritted her teeth and began moving up the stairs, rifle aimed forward. “Let’s go.” One by one, the Rangers stepped in line behind her, kicking rocks and broken bits of building out of the way. Dani tucked herself in between Grace and Ruiz, making her the second person out of the destroyed storefront. 

The entire main street was on fire. Dani had to shield her face from the heat coming off the asphalt. The blast had taken out many of the storefronts lining the drag. Grace looked around, watching as people began to emerge from wherever they had found cover. There was a strong, acrid scent of gasoline in the air. The kid ran over to where the Rangers were standing. Grace surveyed the area, seeing broken pieces of Rev-7s scattered everywhere. One in particular was howling that terrifying mechanical scream as it writhed back and forth, unable to pull itself back together. One kid, yes, a kid, stepped forward and unloaded several rounds into its face. The kid was carrying an Equalizer. 

Grace stepped forward as the flames began to die down. She approached the teenager she presumed was the leader of this whole operation. He was the one who ordered them to run into town. “Hey kid, what the fuck? I mean, thanks, but what the fuck?” 

“That’s a funny way to say ‘thanks for saving our asses.’” The kid laughed. More people began to emerge from the buildings surrounding them. That’s when Dani saw it. Every single person was dressed in black. They weren’t uniforms. There was a variety of outfits, t-shirts, sweatshirts, one person wore a black suit jacket, all wearing black pants. And every single person had some sort of red arm band around their right bicep, each arm band depicting the ouroboros. This was a hand-crafted militia, not officially affiliated with the Resistance. She stepped out from behind Grace, in awe of the sight. These weren’t soldiers. They were all kids. Some looked no older than about ten or eleven. The leader stepped forward and offered a salute to Dani. “Welcome to Rifle, Colorado, Commander.” The rest of the kids snapped to attention, saluting her as well. 

Dani looked back at Grace, the look on her face said it all. “Are we in a fucking dream right now?” Grace shook her head. She introduced herself to the kid, who said his name was Dane Lewis. 

“How do you know who I am, Dane Lewis?” Dani, just over five feet tall, looked up at the acne covered face staring back at her. 

Dane smiled, “The old man from Salida radioed us last night, said you might be headed this way. We’ve been watching for you since first light.” 

“What did you just do, Dane?” Grace asked, wondering about the explosion and flames. 

“Napalm, and a little bit of homespun wisdom.” Dane smiled proudly, looking at the mess he had created. “Effective though.” He slung his weapon over his shoulder, put his hands on his hips, and wiped his face with a dirty hand. He suddenly looked much older than his age implied. 

Grace was silent, wondering about the homespun wisdom part. The explosion was huge. It had taken out the Revs that were in pursuit of them. The Rangers had not fired a single shot. “Who are you?” 

“Me? No one, really. My great grandfather was the Unabomber. At least that’s what my mom always said. I don’t know if that’s true. But I was born with a knack for blowing shit up.” 

“Well, thank God,” Dani interrupted. “You just saved us all.” 

As they walked away from the main street and remains of Legion Revs, Grace leaned forward to Dani and whispered, “Who’s the Unabomber?” 

Dani turned her head to the side, speaking out the corner of her mouth, “I’ll explain later.” 

Dane Lewis led them all to the residential area of town, to a large house on the corner. The house looked old and run down, from years of neglect. The windows were boarded up, the siding covered in spray paint and graffiti. On the front door, was a red ouroboros. “Come on in, you’re among friends.” Dane called back to them. 

Dani was curious, if not a little apprehensive. She wanted answers, but also knew standing out in the open only invited more trouble from Legion. Inside the house, something was cooking. It smelled like garlic. Dani’s mouth began to water at the idea of finally eating something. She felt her stomach clench and cramp. She could see the same look on all the Rangers’ faces. Food. Real food. 

“Sit, everyone. Welcome to Casa de Lewis. On the menu tonight is venison stew. It’s hot, brown, and there’s plenty of it.” Dane walked off in the direction of the kitchen. 

14 apprehensive Rangers looked at each other for confirmation that they could possibly be safe. The room was lined with couches, recliners, a bean bag chair, blankets on the floor, pillows. It wasn’t fancy, but it was inviting. Grace flopped down onto a La-Z-Boy recliner that had seen better days. She laid her rifle against the arm, propped up. The Rangers followed suit, sitting wherever they could fall down. Dani stood in the center of the room, eyeballing the bean bag chair right before Daniels took it as his own. “Dani, here.” Grace moved to stand up and give the Commander her chair. Instead, Dani pushed Grace back down into it and let Grace pull her into her lap. The Ranger nodded, wrapping an arm around Dani, feeling good about things for the first time all day. 

Dane walked out the kitchen, looking at the group of soldiers he had given shelter to. “Dinner is ready. Fall in and get some soup.” 

Everyone stood at once. Everyone was hungry. The pleasant and spicy smell coming from the kitchen was too much to resist. A young man and a girl stood together in the kitchen in front of a stack of plastic, mismatched bowls. There was a pile of silver spoons next to the bowls on an old wooden kitchen table. Bread rolls heaped in a pile looked like absolute heaven. Grace nearly cried, she was so hungry and grateful for some human kindness. The Rangers formed a line as the young man ladled soup into a bowl for each soldier. The girl, no older than 13, handed each a piece of bread and a spoon. There was an old Igloo water cooler set up, with red Solo cups available. They were serving watered down lemonade. 

Back in the living room, the Rangers ate in silence, scarfing down the delicious stew. It had big chunks of meat, potatoes and carrots. It was seasoned badly, too much, really. But it was hot, and it was good. Grace’s taste buds sang with pleasure at every spoonful. She could not remember having a meal this good since Judgement Day. Dani sat straight, resting on Grace’s knee. Using her other knee to hold her bread. She remembered when her father would make stew like this, thick and chunky. This wasn’t too bad for a bunch of kids. 

Dane joined them, standing with a bowl in his hand. “You can stay here as long as you need. We use the surrounding houses, and stay close to each other. There’s plenty of room for everyone.” 

“Kid, where are your parents?” Grace said through a mouthful of bread. She drank from the cup, tasting the weak lemon flavor. It was still pretty good, considering they hadn't had anything to eat since the night before. 

“Well, we’re not officially part of the Resistance, as far as registration goes. We don’t get much help out here. Most of the adults followed the Commander’s convoy to The Shove. Some of the adults were weak-ass posers; and we think they just ran off at the nearest opportunity. Long story short, no one came back from Missouri. We don’t know if they’re dead or still out there. It’s been months.” Dane swirled his spoon through his soup, lost in thought. His own parents were probably dead, Grace realized. 

“I’m sorry Dane.” Dani felt bad for the kids. Left all alone to survive on their own. It reminded her of the day she found young Grace in the ruins. “That fight was terrible.” 

“You were there?” The little girl from the kitchen appeared from behind Dane, peeking out around his back. 

Dani smiled over at her, “Yes, we all were.” Each Ranger looked up from their dinner and nodded to the girl. 

“This is my little sister, Stacy.” This is our house. Commander, I’d be honored if you stayed with us. There’s an extra room upstairs, it was my mom and dad’s, but you and Lieutenant Harper can have it.” Dane did not seem the least bit affected by the relationship between Dani and Grace. 

“That’s very kind of you, Dane. Thank you.” 

“We’ve got supplies in the truck out on the road. We need to bring that in.” Grace started to go over the situation in her head again, from Glenwood Springs to their arrival at Rifle. 

“Don’t worry about it, Lieutenant, I’ve already got someone bringing the truck in. They should be here any time.” Dane said as he scraped the bottom of his bowl with the spoon. “There’s plenty more stew if you all want seconds.” The Rangers did not need more of an invitation. Several of them got back up to go back for more. 

“You should eat more, Grace.” Dani pushed, knowing that the blonde warrior needed the nourishment. 

“Only if you do.” 

“You don’t have to tell me twice.” They both rose up from the recliner to go after more. 

As the evening wore on, the Rangers relaxed for once, lulled into a sense of safety. Kids, Grace thought, we were saved by fuckin’ kids. It boggled her mind that the group of children acted more like a real militia than some of the adults she’d known in her life. 

The sun began to set. Grace met with Dane to establish a duty roster. The Rangers pulled their own weight, she told him. They would take watch around town that night, in rotating shifts. She said she didn’t know if any of her soldiers were good cooks, opting to not tell him about Dani being one of the best cooks she knew. Dane said it was fine, he just wanted them to rest while they were there. He said he admired them for their courage at The Shove, and how they’d brought together so many more people. Dane said they were all too young to join officially, but they’d keep the watch there in Rifle. He did tell Grace that there was a supply of weapons and ammunition that the Rangers could have when they got ready to move. 

Dane Lewis helped Grace and the Rangers unload some oats and granola from the truck, to leave with the kids. It wasn’t great, but it was something Grace could use to repay their hospitality. Grace took hers and Dani’s packs into the house, and headed to the upstairs bedroom 

The room was big, with a king-sized bed in the center. Two large oak dressers lined the wall, with a book case and an entertainment center. There were knickknacks all over the place. Someone had taken the time to make it up. It was covered in quilts and massive overstuffed pillows. Other people’s clothes and belongings were in that room. Grace felt like an interloper, out of place in a world that didn’t belong to her. She felt Dani’s hand on her elbow as the commander slipped up behind her. “It’s ok, love. They aren’t coming back, and we’re not staying here forever.” She rubbed her palm against Grace’s back, trying to get the soldier to relax. Dani turned and shut the bedroom door. 

Grace unlaced her boots and sat silently on the edge of someone else’s bed. She noticed she wasn’t smelling too great. “What’s the word on showers?” 

“Oh! About that. You’re going love this, Grace. Stacy drew me a little map, that leads down to the other side of town. To... are you ready?” 

Grace nodded, eagerly waiting for Dani to tell her. She mimicked the smile on Dani’s face instinctively. “What? What is it?” 

Dani was teasing Grace again. “A hot spring that the town turned into a public bath house.” 

“Ohhhh, you’re fucking kidding me.” Grace’s eyes widened. “Let’s go!”


	5. A Challenge Issued

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “If we still have time, we might still get by   
> Every time I think about it, I want to cry   
> With bombs and the devil, and the kids keep comin'   
> No way to breathe easy, no time to be young 
> 
> But I tell myself that I was doin' all right   
> There's nothin' left to do at night   
> But go crazy on you   
> Crazy on you   
> Let me go crazy, crazy on you, oh.” 
> 
> -Heart

After finding some towels in the bathroom at Dane’s house, Grace and Dani slipped out the back door, following the little map Stacy Lewis had drawn for them. Grace liked moving under the cover of night. She felt less exposed than she did during the daylight. She held Dani’s hand, letting the brunette guide her under the light of the half-moon. 

“Ok, it says we turn down here and walk about three blocks.” Dani explained as she folded the piece of paper and shoved it into her pants pocket. 

“Then what?” Grace asked. She liked to know all the details of an operation before they followed through with things. 

“Then, that’s it. We’re there.” Dani pulled her gently forward, silently assuring Grace that she knew the way. They walked together, quietly enjoying each other’s company. There were no lights to be seen anywhere through the town. Stacy told Dani earlier that the bath house had a lantern that they could use for light. Everything was sent back to the Dark Ages, quite literally, after Judgement Day. Most places had yet to recover. Dani wondered how a bunch of kids were not only surviving, but thriving out here alone. Certainly, she thought, they must be getting help from adults nearby. 

At the end of the third block, there was a little cottage. Stacy told Dani that it had been a guest house on someone’s property. There was a larger house right in front of it. The guest house had heated water from the spring running underneath it, heating it in the winter months. At some point, the adults had transformed it into a public house for bathing and soaking. 

Grace pushed her way in front of Dani, raising her Equalizer up in front of them. She closed in on the door, opening it slowly. It was dark inside. The rush of heat and humidity slapped her in the face and made her forget where she was temporarily. She stepped inside, lowering her weapon. The warmth was fantastic. Grace was very excited about this. She’d been to a hot spring one other time, in Washington, when her family visited her grandparents. But that place had water slides. 

Dani found the lantern right where Stacy said it would be. She lit the wick and watched the room come to life beneath long shadows. The bath was a small pool in the center of the room. It was about the size of two hot tubs. She turned behind them and locked the door, in case others got the same idea. She wanted some time alone, to be naked and enjoy some hot water, with her partner. 

Grace was already taking her boots off. She stripped quickly down to nothing, leaving her clothes in a pile by a folding chair. Dani watched the thin soldier pad to the edge of the water, testing it with her foot. Grace moaned and stepped down the concrete steps. Steam rolled over the surface of the water, filling the room. Dani smiled as Grace submerged herself completely. She stood up in the center of the bath, the water came up to the middle of her belly. “Dani, get in here!” Dani saw the smile on Grace’s face. She loved seeing her so happy. Grace went under a second time, jumping up out of the water, splashing it everywhere. She ran her hands through her hair, pushing it back. Grace was covered in dirt and bruises, one indistinguishable from the other. 

Dani stripped down, leaving her clothes in a pile next to Grace’s. She stepped down into the bath. Her whole body reacted to the heat. She stood on the first step, feeling the rush rise through her. Grace had stopped to watch her, smiling, loving the beautiful naked form of the Resistance Commander, her lover. She moved toward Dani, offering up her hand. Dani accepted and let Grace lead her down. The warmth of the water was overwhelming. Dani couldn’t remember the last time she had anything more than a lukewarm shower. She dunked herself under the surface, letting the water cover her entirely. She stood back up to see Grace grinning from ear to ear. Dani laughed at the absurdity of the situation. They were running for their lives from Legion, and this might have been the most wonderful thing on the planet. 

Dani moved in on Grace, pushing her back against the side of the pool. Grace sat down on the second step, sinking down to where the water covered her above her shoulders. Dani stood in front of her, taking the blonde’s face in her hands. She added a little pressure, guiding Grace to lean her head back. Dani took great care and time to run her fingers through the short, blonde locks, washing away oil, sweat, dirt, and tension. Grace closed her eyes and relaxed into her lover’s hold. Dani lowered her head to plant a delicate kiss on Grace’s lips while her eyes were still closed. Grace stood and switched places with Dani a few minutes later, to offer her the same care. She released the tight braid and worked her fingers through Dani’s hair, massaging her scalp. The soft groans coming from the Commander were music to Grace’s ears. She loved it when Dani responded that way, whether to her touch or the hot water, it didn’t matter. Grace liked seeing the pleasure creep across the features of the brunette. She sat behind Dani on the step, caressing her shoulders and scalp and her hair. Dani finally relaxed back into Grace’s body, leaning her head against a sturdy shoulder. Neither woman could remember feeling so good and warm and relaxed all at once. They stayed there for over an hour, before Grace started getting sleepy. Her belly was full of hearty stew and bread, her heart full of love for Dani. Her body was reaching its limit for hot water, though she didn’t think it would ever be possible. Her fingertips were beginning to prune. She leaned forward, whispering in Dani’s ear, “Let’s go back.” She kissed the sensitive skin behind Dani’s ear, a spot she knew the brunette loved having touched. She kissed it again and again, rubbing a hand across Dani’s belly beneath the water. A soft breathless “Okay” was Dani’s response. She had no argument in her. 

The walk back to Dane’s house was quick. The air was turning cold again, though it took Dani and Grace time to feel it at all. They managed to sneak back inside, hearing Rangers talking softly, getting ready for sleep on the living room floor and couches. Dane had offered them separate quarters among the rest of the houses in the neighborhood, but the Rangers refused to be apart. Grace loved that about them. 

She let Dani lead her back upstairs to the bedroom, and she softly shut the door behind them. Once inside, there was a need to be together properly. It wasn’t rushed or frantic, where clothes were torn and thrown to the ground. It was relaxed, time was taken to touch and kiss. Darkness enfolded them, but they did not need light to see their way with each other. Grace felt her way up along Dani’s naked torso, letting her fingertips linger and play at the sensitive skin beneath the brunette’s breasts. She knew Dani liked being touched there, better when Grace used her mouth. Dani pulled gently at Grace’s shirt, wanting it off. Grace complied, pulling it off in one swift movement. Immediately, Dani moved in and pressed her body against Grace’s, both women still warm from the bath house. The chilly outside air was finding its way into the house. Grace pulled Dani toward the bed, ushering her under the blankets. She leaned down over Dani, unbuttoning the commander’s uniform pants, pulling them off and tossing them down to the floor. She pulled her own pants off, and stood there, gazing down at the mostly naked woman in the bed. Dani’s panties were the only thing covering her. Dani loved seeing Grace in nothing but her boxer briefs. The tight, black material contrasted her pale skin, and in the moonlight through the window, Dani could see every freckle and mole, every scar. Grace was beautiful. 

Grace climbed into bed beside her, pulling the quilts up around them. She yawned loudly, trying to push sleep back a little while longer. Dani could see the warrior fighting against her exhaustion, losing that battle. “Hold me, Grace.” She whispered, knowing that if Grace did, she’d be asleep within minutes. Grace laid on her back, welcoming the Commander into her arms. Dani slid up against her, loving the warmth between them. She draped a leg across Grace, her thigh planted firmly across the bulge in the blonde’s shorts. Grace was semi-hard. Dani knew that with only a little bit of convincing, Grace would be ready and willing for her. The older woman was conflicted between wanting sex and just naturally falling asleep. 

While she laid there, contemplating what to do, she felt Grace relax, and soon Dani was dreaming of Mexico City. 

The early morning hours came too soon. Dani woke up, feeling rough fingertips tickling the skin between her shoulder blades. “Mmmm. I like that.” She whispered against Grace’s chest. She brought her hand up the blonde’s belly, tracing a line of scar tissue above the navel. She moved up slowly, touching the curve of a breast, letting her fingers play over the soft nipple, helping it to stiffen under her commanding touch. Grace’s breathing got heavier as Dani continued playing, squeezing the nipple between her thumb and forefinger. She never pinched Grace, but she never had to. Grace had learned to enjoy the softer side of things that Dani gave her. Dani shifted herself, turning her head to be able to take the other nipple into her mouth. Grace gave a low groan as Dani began to run her tongue all around the sensitive flesh. She pressed the nipple between her lips, softly biting without teeth. She could feel Grace’s pulse quicken. She slid her hand away from the breast she was attending to, sliding her fingers inside of Grace’s underwear. The beast below was hard. Dani felt her arousal heighten as her body responded to her lover’s readiness. Dani kissed Grace’s chest, her neck, dragging her lips across the scarred jaw, finding the warrior’s mouth with her own. Grace ran a hand up into Dani’s hair, pulling her closer, deepening the kiss. She ran her tongue along the split between Dani’s lips, seeking entry into the Commander’s wet mouth. Dani was more than happy to oblige, feeling Grace’s tongue meet hers, sliding against hers, warm and deliciously soft. Dani loved kissing Grace. It was one of her favorite things to do. It made her feel closer, more connected to the blonde. Plus, Grace was an amazing kisser. 

Dani wrapped her hand around Grace’s hardened length, wanting to feel it deep inside of her. Dani realized she could forego oral sex with Grace every time, just to allow for longer moments of Grace thrusting inside of her. Grace rolled over onto her side, pushing Dani back onto her back. “I’ve got something for you.” She whispered, taking Dani by surprise. She stared up at Grace, mesmerized by the deep blue eyes staring at her in the early morning light. Grace pulled her close, and began kissing her again. One long arm reached down between Dani’s thighs beneath the blankets. Grace placed her palm flat against the flesh of Dani’s upper thigh, pulling toward her own body. Dani relaxed, letting Grace position her. She loved the control Grace exercised, and the confidence exuding from her right then. The blonde gripped her thigh softly, pulling Dani’s leg back and up over her own. This effectively opened Dani up. Dani bit her bottom lip, excited by the move. She reached up for Grace’s face, pulled her close, kissed her deep, and gave herself over to the warrior. Dani trusted her. “I need you to stay quiet. We don’t want to be rude considering what Dane has given us.” Dani nodded, knowing full well how important it would be to not be loud right now. Grace ran her fingertips lightly down the thigh draped across hers. She felt Dani shudder beneath her touch, as she worked her way closer to where Dani really wanted her. She slipped her other arm under Dani’s head, and told her to relax and let her take care of her. Dani closed her eyes, succumbing to the advance of the blonde. Grace ran her fingers through the soft patch of black pubic hair, tickling and teasing it between her fingers. She slipped lower, cupping Dani in her hand. Grace massaged the softness under her hand, loving how Dani fit completely in her palm and opened under her fingers at just the right point. Grace pulled the underwear down far enough that Dani could work them off with one foot. They resumed their position, and Grace found her way into the slick hot folds of her lover. Dani throbbed hard at the first contact of Grace’s fingers, which now sought their way inside of her. She slid her legs further apart, inviting Grace in. Two fingers penetrated her slowly, deeply. Dani clenched tight around Grace, loving how even those long fingers filled her. Grace curled her fingers, dragging along Dani’s most sensitive spot inside. She did this several times, opening Dani further, making her wetter and more excited. Dani leaned against Grace, holding tightly to the strong arm that was working her. She loved the way they felt together as Grace’s thumb discovered her throbbing clit. Dani tried so hard to remain quiet, stifling a moan against Grace’s neck. What the blonde was doing to her was pushing the limits of her self-control. She wanted to come, but she wanted Grace’s cock deep inside of her when she did. The thought of that sent Dani into overdrive, and as Grace stroked every part of her, Dani started to shake and shiver. The orgasm snuck up on her, taking her by surprise. She couldn’t stop it, nor could she stop the cry that tore from her lips. Grace quietly laughed, but didn’t skip a beat. She rubbed Dani steadily, letting her finish out the wave of pleasure. Dani was out of breath, panting quietly. She reached down, firmly holding Grace’s thick shaft. “Now.” She whispered. A command. 

Grace rolled back, slipping out of the briefs, chasing them down her legs with skilled feet. She rolled back to her side, pulling one of Dani’s legs up, hooking it under the knee with her elbow. She had Dani spread so far open, she was actually afraid of hurting her. Dani licked her lips and nodded in agreement. Grace was going to pound her. It was kind of a challenge between them to see how far they could take things without making any noise. This would be just as difficult for Grace. She took two deep breaths as Dani reached between them and guided Grace inside of her. Grace held Dani’s leg steady, and rolled them both so she was on top of Dani. She propped herself up on her arms, directing Dani to put her leg on the blonde’s shoulder. “You ready?” Grace whispered, making sure Dani wanted this too. Dani grinned and nodded, ready for whatever Grace would give her. She whispered, “fuck me as hard as you like, Lieutenant.” Grace growled deep in her chest, slid out almost completely from Dani’s sopping wet center, and drove back in hard. Dani gritted her teeth, determined not to make a sound. “I’ll suck you off tonight if you can make me scream.” A clear challenge from Dani, and Grace was more than happy to take her up on it. She pulled back and rammed herself home again, feeling Dani’s muscles spasm around her. Grace had another weapon in her arsenal. She knew how much Dani loved when she slowed down, working her hips in slow lazy circles. It drove Dani mad. The intense push and pull between them was overwhelming to both women. Dani always rocked her hips up to get Grace deeper, knowing that the deeper she went, the less control Grace had over her own body. The only sounds in the room were the rude slapping of skin on skin and their heavy breathing. Grace could see that Dani could take whatever she was giving her. She wanted them to stay quiet, but she also wanted Dani to howl her name. Grace reached down, pounding Dani with wild abandon, hooked her other leg up and put it on her shoulder. That’s when Grace really leaned on her. “Scream my name, Commander.” Grace hissed between clenched teeth. She got leverage with her knees on the bed and began to relentless drive her rock hard cock deep into her partner’s wet hole. 

Dani began to pant, making soft little cries with every stroke Grace took. Grace looked down at here and raised her eyebrows up and down, smiling at Dani, knowing she might very well lose this bet. Grace was close to coming, but she would not give in until she had what she wanted. She reached between them, finding Dani’s clit with her thumb, rubbing it hard while she pounded away. Dani started moaning uncontrollably. Finally, when she felt her second orgasm present itself, far stronger than the first one, she let go and yelled out, “Yes! YES! Oh my god, Grace! YES!” Grace stifled a laugh, reached her hand up and covered Dani’s mouth. Dani’s body began convulsing, her back arched, and she came, gushing from the center of her body, all over Grace. And that was it for the blonde warrior, who merely whispered, “Dani, I love you,” as she completely let go and exploded inside her partner. Grace removed her hand from the Commander’s mouth, holding Dani close, letting her legs go so the brunette could relax. 

When Grace finally rolled away from her, they laid there, on their backs, laughing at each other. “You know everyone in the house heard that, my love.” Dani finally said. 

Grace laughed, reached over, softly touching Dani’s belly with now delicate fingers, “Everyone in town might have heard you.” 

Dani reached across, going directly for the sensitive skin on Grace’s left side, and dug her finger right into it. The blonde jumped and wailed at the sudden sneak attack. “Now we’re even, Grace.” Dani giggled, more than satisfied.


	6. With No Gods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “This will never end 'cause I want more  
> More, give me more  
> Give me more 
> 
> If I had a heart I could love you  
> If I had a voice I would sing  
> After the night when I wake up  
> I'll see what tomorrow brings.” 
> 
> -Fever Ray

Dani and Grace dressed together, a little embarrassed by what had just happened. They weren’t ashamed of what they did together, but just at what the rest of the house would think about it. The Rangers were probably going to ignore it, like they usually did. But Dane and Stacy were just kids. Grace led Dani down the steps to the main room, where the soldiers were packing up before breakfast. 

“What’s the plan, L-T?” Ruiz stood up from his pack, not making eye contact with Dani for some reason. It was just fine with Dani; she knew that the blush would cover her entire face if she thought about anyone knowing what just happened with Grace. 

“We’re going to sit down with Dane and some of his people and go over how best to get out of here.” Grace shouldered her rifle, and laid her pack on the floor beside the recliner. “We need to find more fuel spots, friendly stops, and probably another truck. We’ve lost time staying here, and we have to get moving ASAP.” 

Dani left the conversation to go help Stacy in the kitchen. The little girl was busy, over a huge stainless-steel pot, mixing something that did not have any kind of aroma. Stacy turned and regarded Dani for a moment. The Commander could feel the girl’s eyes on her, and suddenly felt bad for letting her overhear her private encounter with Grace. “Good morning, Stacy, how are you?” The girl smiled from ear to ear. She hopped down from the stool she’d been standing on in front of the stove. “I sure wish I had one of those with me all the time.” Dani pointed to the stool. Stacy was easily the same height as Dani, but would surely grow taller as she grew up. 

“You’re really pretty, Commander. I can see why she likes you.” Stacy said, stepping around into the small pantry to her left. She came back out with a big plastic container, like the old Tupperware containers Dani’s grandma used to have. She peeled the lid back, revealing a brick of brown sugar. Stacy dumped the hardened sugar onto the counter and covered it with a dish towel. 

“Who?” Dani asked, watching the little girl, spellbound. From a drawer next to the sink, Stacy produced a hammer. She began gently beating on the brick of sugar, to break it up a little bit. She was careful not to let any fly away. She cupped her hand around the edges as she beat the towel, scooping up pieces as they tried to fly away. 

“Lieutenant Harper. She’s your girlfriend, right?” Stacy, a mere child of about 13, was poking Dani right in the gut with a question she’d never had to answer before. Dani shifted, looking over her shoulder at the blonde soldier in the living room. She was taken by the woman’s physical presence and command of the situation with the other soldiers. Dani loved her in that old boonie hat. Grace must have sensed her staring because she looked over just then, catching Dani in the act. That knowing smile of hers just absolutely melted Dani’s heart. She felt Stacy next to her suddenly, tugging on her sleeve. “She really likes you, Commander. I can tell.” 

Dani smiled back at her...girlfriend... She supposed it was true to all outward appearances. She returned her attention back to Stacy, who was now up on the stool, stirring. “What’s for breakfast, Chef?” Dani asked, trying to shift the conversation in another direction. 

“Oatmeal. The usual. We have a lot of it around here. Your team left us some more too. Thanks for that. I wish we had bacon.” Stacy said that last part more to herself. 

“Bacon. I miss bacon. Have you ever had bacon?” Dani wondered how a girl so young, born after the beginning of the war, could have memories of something that barely existed anymore. There was a time when pork flew off the shelves at grocery stores. Now, pigs had to be raised and cared for by consumers. There weren’t enough resources to raise livestock everywhere. 

“No, but my mom used to say she wished we had it. She told me about it a lot. It sounds good.” Stacy absentmindedly continued stirring, recalling the memory from somewhere private. “This is ready when you guys are.” She turned the propane tank off next to the stove. Someone had rigged the stove to operate from smaller tanks, instead of the main house line, which no longer worked. The tanks probably came from Ticky’s place back in Salida. 

Dani went to tell Grace breakfast was ready. Stacy had made a big pot of coffee, sitting on the stove next to the oatmeal. There was a ladle and more plastic cups. There were plastic cups for the oatmeal too. Dane entered the kitchen first. The Rangers began to line up. Grace was somewhere in the middle of the line, and took Dani’s hand and pushed her in front of her, not letting go right away. Dani squeezed her fingers, holding on tight. Dane spoke before they began. “We do this once a day, at breakfast. You don’t have to join, but feel free if you wish. Stacy, will you say the blessing?” 

Stacy crossed her arms over her chest, bowed her head and closed her eyes. Dane followed suit. “Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for this meal...” Dani watched as boonie hats came off, stunned silence filled the room, as warriors with no gods bowed their heads to pray. Even Grace slipped her hat off and lowered her head. Dani looked up at her, catching Grace’s eyes. They smiled, and Dani bowed her head as well. She wasn’t sure what she believed in, but she was not about to be rude. “...please keep us healthy and well, and watch over and bless our families wherever they are. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.” And that was it, a short little blessing over food that would see them through the day. There was a staggered chorus of “amens” throughout the line. Food and coffee were served hot. They had all learned to appreciate a hot meal, even if it meant observing someone else’s religious practices. 

Dani and Grace went back to the living room recliner to eat. Grace sat, and Dani took space on one of her knees, like the night before. The brown sugar made the oatmeal palatable. Dani had been eating it plain for years. Rifle, Colorado, had been a nice surprise. 

After breakfast, the Rangers and Dane gathered in the living room to go over maps and information. Stacy cleaned up in the kitchen. Dani went to help her. “No, Commander, you’re a guest here. You don’t have to do anything.” Stacy refused to let her help. 

“We Rangers pull our own weight.” 

“But you’re the Commander of the Human Resistance. You’re not a Ranger.” 

“Right now, while I travel with them, I am. Let me help you.” Dani scraped the leftover oats into a big bowl. Stacy poured out what was left of the coffee into a big metal pitcher. They took the pots outside where they could be scrubbed out. The property had a well, with an old-fashioned hand pump. Dani watched the little girl pump and pump and pump until the water began to flow freely. They filled the pots, added some homemade soap, and scrubbed everything clean, including the silverware and plastic cups. When they finished, Stacy said she had a surprise for Dani. It was downstairs in the basement. 

If Dani learned anything about surprises in the basement, it was that she probably watched too many horror movies. The entrance to the basement was a set of storm doors, like one would see covering a tornado shelter. Stacy threw them open, revealing four or five concrete steps down. She headed down first, and Dani apprehensively followed her. The basement was dank and smelled of mold and dust. Dani brushed a cobweb from her face. She really hated spiders, and was on the lookout. Stacy took her over to a small card table, covered with a canvas tarp. She flipped it off, revealing an old Ham radio. 

“Oh wow. I haven’t seen one of these in years. Does it work?” 

“Of course, it works, Commander. Who do you want to talk to?” 

“Can you contact the Northern Cheyenne reservation in Montana?" 

Stacy thought it over for a minute. “Probably. Sit down and let’s see.” 

Grace suddenly realized she hadn’t seen Dani in a while. She never liked to let the Commander get too far away from her. It was hard to protect someone she couldn’t see. She interrupted the Rangers’ conversation, excusing herself to go look around. Dane followed her out to the kitchen. “Where’s your sister and Commander Ramos, Dane?” 

“Probably out back, maybe in the basement. Stacy mentioned wanting to show the Commander our radio. We have an old Ham down there. It was our dad’s.” He explained, leading the way out the back door. They stepped down into the cellar, seeing Dani and Stacy sitting side by side, calling out different handles, searching for Jay Yellow Bear. From the radio’s speaker, a scratchy voice came back with “Yellow Bear here, who’s this? Over.” 

Holy shit, Grace thought. The kid did it. She walked quickly over to Dani, placing a heavy hand on the Commander’s shoulder. Dani looked up, smiling. “Stacy found him.” She whispered. 

Stacy continued the radio banter back and forth with Yellow Bear until Dani took over the conversation. Stacy stood and let Grace sit down to be a part of a vital communication. Dane took Stacy and left them alone. He whispered that it was probably classified, even though the channel probably wasn’t private. 

Dani and Jay Yellow Bear talked about their whereabouts, how long it would take to get there, and other information concerning their journey. Yellow Bear was just happy to know they were still alive. There had been conflicting reports of action in their area over the last 24 hours. Dani relayed the events with the HKs and Revs. She asked if there were any local registered outposts that could possibly come and lend a hand, since the oldest person here was only about 15. Yellow Bear said he’d pass it along down the wire. Dani kept it short, assuring Jay that she would contact him again as soon as she was able. He warned her to watch out for skinners and zealots. 

After the conversation ended, Grace turned to her, and told her what the Rangers had planned. There was a fueling station right there in town that was operational, via hand pumps. Salida had delivered fuel on a regular basis before The Shove. Dane was certain the well was still mostly full. He had offered them a few different vehicles to take, making the journey faster and more comfortable. Grace also told Dani that Dane and Stacy wanted to come with them. 

“No. They can’t. It’s too dangerous.” Dani was adamant about that. 

“Dani, they’re kids, alone. They need help. What if skinners come for them or someone worse?” Dani could see that Grace would have packed every single kid in town up if she could have. 

“Grace, we can’t. Those kids can hold their own. They took down two HKs and a whole bunch of machines yesterday. I think they’ll be fine.” Dani worried about having children in tow. She could not think of being responsible for their deaths if something happened along the way. 

“Dani, please. They need us. And we need them. I mean, Dane can make bombs out of gasoline and paperclips. He’s like that guy, the one who solved problems with helicopter blades and match sticks.” 

“McGuyver?” Dani asked plainly. 

“Whoever. The point is, we could use their skills. I’m not saying we take everyone. Just Dane and Stacy.” Grace reached over to take Dani’s hands; her pleading tone was not something Dani knew how to process. Dani stood up and moved away before Grace could touch her. 

She started pacing, biting her thumbnail. “Grace, I can’t.” She shook her head, not looking at the blonde. 

“Why not? They’re good kids.” 

“Because they’re kids, Grace. We don’t take kids into battle. We don’t let kids die alongside of us.” 

“Dani -” 

“No! No.... no.” She shook her head, as if to rid herself of the thought. And Dani walked out of the cellar, obviously affected deeply by something Grace couldn’t see or understand right then. 

Grace stood, put her game face on, and moved to join her team. It was time to load and go. 

The Rangers loaded supplies of jerky, potatoes, coffee and brown sugar, thanks very much to Stacy. There had been a huge store of goods in the neighborhood that she’d been looting. The Rangers left them with a huge sack of oats and one of granola in return. Dane gave Grace the list of fueling stations, two new vehicles, and a hug. Grace hugged him back longer than she meant to. Her heart was breaking for these kids. He knew he couldn’t go. He begged Grace to just take Stacy. He was afraid for her staying there. 

“The Commander’s orders are final, soldier.” Grace tried to make him feel better by acknowledging his part in the Resistance. She bit back any emotion she might have been feeling, and loaded her pack into the main truck. 

Ruiz and Daniels would drive the new vehicles. One was a 2018 Pontiac Grand Am. It had a set of balls on it. The kids had cut a sunroof into it, so a gunner could position himself from there. The other vehicle was a 2004 Chevy Avalanche. It was weighted down with armor plating, like the skinner’s truck’s Grace took to Carlsbad. She didn’t want to drive it, simply for what it reminded her of. Instead, she opted to ride in the back of the truck, away from everyone else. The Rangers were getting tired of walking and riding on bags of oats in the back of that truck. It had no suspension left and they could feel every bump in the road jarring their brains. Grace didn’t care. She was so upset at the moment; she would have let them pull her behind the truck with her hands tied with a rope. 

Dani instinctively climbed into the truck with Grace. She sat at the tailgate, saying goodbye to Stacy. Stacy cried, asking if Dani would ever come back to see her again. Dani tried not to sound like an advertisement for military recruiting, but she ended up sounding stupid about it anyway. “When you’re a little older, you can register with the Resistance. Once you do, come find me. I’ll find a place for you.” Stacy reached out her hand, taking Dani’s, squeezing as the truck began to roll forward. Stacy denied her impulse to run after them. Dane stepped up behind her, put one arm around her shoulders and waved goodbye to the Rangers. Grace couldn’t even look. She sat in the deep shadows of the truck bed, legs pulled up to her chest, face buried in her knees. We are godless, no better than the machines, Grace told herself. She tried to cry without Dani noticing.


	7. The Great Divide

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Empty spaces, what are we living for?   
> Abandoned places, I guess we know the score, on and on   
> Does anybody know what we are looking for?   
> Another hero, another mindless crime   
> Behind the curtain, in the pantomime   
> Hold the line   
> Does anybody want to take it anymore?” 
> 
> -Queen

The tanks were full. Supplies were plentiful. Ammunition and weapons had been resupplied before leaving Rifle, Colorado. The group of kids who stayed behind were going to be okay. Dani had to tell herself that, or she’d come apart at the seams. They were tough kids who had been living without adult supervision for months since The Shove. Dani had seen worse circumstances before. She had begged surrounding communities to help starving babies before with mothers who didn’t have a clue how to survive. She had taken in numerous people into the Resistance, given them a home, food, a purpose, and hope. Why then, when these kids seemed to be doing well enough on their own, did Dani feel like such an asshole about leaving them? 

They had a five-hour trip ahead of them, heading north into a place called Rock Springs, Wyoming. Five hours would have been the allotted travel time before the war. There were not many roads to take in Wyoming. It was either the interstate running between Denver and Sheridan, Wyoming, or the secondary road between Casper, WY, and … where the fuck ever they might be going. She realized how left out of the conversation she had been. Dani couldn’t think right now. Any road they took was bound to be dangerous. There was literally nothing out there. Huge expanses of rugged terrain between small towns that might not even exist once they arrived. Wyoming was a huge risk. Dani could not imagine taking that risk with children in her care. 

Grace had all the travel information. Grace was also not speaking to Dani at this point. Grace remained huddled in the recesses of the truck, facing her own demons. Dani turned to look at Grace, wondering if she was asleep. She was getting tired and wanted to huddle up with Grace, but she didn’t want to upset the blonde any more than she already was. Dani leaned against the tailgate, looking out at the land of the wild west. It was very wild now, since machines took everything people once had. The rolling plains of deep and tall grass were just an endless sea. She thought she saw cows grazing, or maybe buffalo. They could have just been burned out houses or machines. It was so hard to tell when everything looked like a nightmare among the natural beauty. 

She wasn’t sure how long she sat there, or when she fell asleep. The next thing Dani remembered was a big hand pulling her away from the tailgate, beckoning her to sit further back in the truck, under the canopy. “Grace?” She felt her whole body sway as the tuck bounced over a pot hole. She struggled to keep her legs under her as she meandered behind Grace. 

“Come on. Sit back. If you keep your head out the back, Legion might be able to track you. Come on, Dani.” The commander thought that might be an invitation. Grace helped her to move back into the cover that the truck provided. Dani moved to sit between Grace’s legs so she could lean in, safely against the blonde’s body. Grace shifted out of the way, giving Dani whatever room she needed to lay down beside her. “Whoa,” Dani whispered to herself. Grace had never avoided her like that before, even when she was mad. She sat down beside Grace, folded her arms over her chest, and waited for Grace to speak. She knew this might take all day, but she was going to wait it out. 

Grace pulled her hat down over her eyes, not looking at Dani. “What happened to you?” Grace mumbled, barely audible over the truck engine. 

“I don’t know. I was wondering the same thing. I used to want to save everyone, every chance I got.” 

“You saved me. You saved all the others. Why not these kids?” Grace tilted her head back and looked the Commander from under the brim of the black boonie hat. 

“You, and so many like you, were all alone. I was all alone back then. Things are different now. Those kids? They have each other. There was a whole community of them. You were about to be torn apart when I found you.” 

“Yeah, and you fought for me. I watched. You’ve fought for others. I know you did. I’ve heard the stories. I just don’t know what happened to you. All of a sudden you’re scared to help anyone, even yourself.” Grace had a point that Dani could not deny. She was scared. How had she become this? Dani Ramos was a fabled fighter for humanity. Now, she was hiding in the back of a truck, running from terminators, just like before Judgement Day. 

“I... Don’t know... I wish I did.” Dani stammered on the words, full well knowing the truth inside of her. She was scared to continue leading. She questioned her own authority every time she made a decision. She wanted, deep inside, to leave it all to Yellow Bear or Fremont, and just be done with it all. She was tired of running and fighting. 

“That’s something you need to figure out then, Dani. Because we need a leader who isn’t afraid to save people. We need Dani Ramos back.” 

“We, the Resistance, do? Or you do?” Dani asked her point blank. She watched as Grace slid her hat back to look at her. Grace huffed. 

“All of the above, Daniella.” Grace pulled her hat back down, crossed her arms over her chest and said no more. 

Dani felt like a scorned child. Grace was right. Dani had been letting her lead since they left Fort Bliss. Grace was a natural leader, and Dani had taken advantage of that. Only when Grace wanted something for herself did Dani protest and throw her authority down. At least it seemed that way. Dani wasn’t angry with Grace for any of this. She felt guilty about Dane and Stacy Lewis, and all of the children back in Colorado. It was too late to go back and get them. The only thing Dani could do was the next right thing. What was she supposed to do though? Pick up every lost soul along the way? Unprepared to feed and house them when the Rangers themselves were struggling with those things? What could she promise new survivors when she had nothing to offer them? Dani felt lost, and desperately needed Grace’s strength. She couldn’t give her an answer right then, however. It wouldn’t be the one Grace wanted, Dani thought. But really, what did she even know about the answer Grace might really want? 

Grace was just waiting for the truth. 

Dani shifted beside Grace, not waiting to be blocked again or questioned right now. She laid her head in Grace’s lap anyway. Grace uncrossed her legs, giving Dani a space to rest. That was all the comfort either of them could offer the other. 

“Hang on! It’s going to get bumpy for a bit!” A voice boomed from the cab of the truck. They were going off the road. The highway was broken, lined with 18-wheelers left behind after the power went out. They hit a particularly large bump, and Dani felt herself leave the bed of the truck. Powerful arms pulled her back down, and Grace had her suddenly pulled against her chest. Dani sat up and grabbed on to the walls of the truck, watching out the back, as Ruiz and Daniels followed behind them. The Avalanche plowed a trail through the overgrown weeds and sage brush. The scent of the brush being crushed under the wheels was pungent but not unpleasant. Dani remembered that smell from the desert in Texas. She missed home badly. That was part of her problem, she realized. She felt completely displaced. The truck rumbled and rocked back and forth, tossing Dani with it. Her grip slipped on the canvas straps she had a hold of, and she went flying over Grace and crashed head first into the metal frame of the truck. The collision made her see stars. Grace, of course, was right on top of her, pulling her up to sit. 

“STOP! Harrison! Stop the truck!” Grace yelled forward. The truck began to slow, the gears shifting down quickly. Grace pulled Dani up to a seated position. “Just take it easy, Dani. Your head is bleeding.” 

Dani felt the warm trickle down by her right ear. She had fallen headfirst into the metal truck bed, slicing her scalp open. When the truck came to a full stop, Grace was on her knees in front of Dani, carefully parting her hair to see the damage. Grace pulled her pack over, looking for her small first aid kit. “It’s not bad. I can stitch it here. Ummm....shit.” Grace held pressure on Dani’s head to stop the bleeding while she looked around with her free hand to find a rag or something. She came up with a semi-clean t-shirt from her bag. It would have to do. Grace wiped the blood from her hand, folded the shirt up and pressed it tight against Dani’s head. “Here, hold this. Sit. I’ll be right back.” Grace hopped out of the back of the truck to meet with Ruiz, Daniels, and Harrison, there behind the truck. 

Dani overheard part of the conversation. 

“Yeah, she’s got a cut on her head, but it’s not too serious. Where are we?” Grace began. 

Ruiz pulled out his map and the four soldiers began to examine the roadways and next course of action. Dane Lewis had given Grace a list of friendly ports in the storm. They had just passed a town called Creston, WY. It was not on the list. It was actually a town to avoid because of cannibalism. They were about to intersect with Interstate 80, going east/west. The next place on Dane’s list was some town called Rock Springs. That meant driving right on the interstate in full daylight. Grace looked back at Dani seated in the truck bed, clutching a bloody service shirt to her head. Despite all of her anger and disappointment, that woman was still the Commander, and still Grace’s partner. “We’ve got to stop somewhere. I don’t want to try the main road till after dark.” 

“But the kid said,” Ruiz began, concerned for their safety. 

“I know what the kid said,” She interrupted. But the kid’s not here, Grace wanted to say. “We have to stop for a while. Commander Ramos is injured and this whole itinerary sucks.” Grace waved her hand over the map, wishing for a new way to get anywhere. They were out in the open, under the sun. The landscape was rolling hills and prairie grass everywhere. There wasn’t a tree in sight. If Legion came for them right now, it’d be like shooting fish in a barrel. 

“Hey! I’m fine. Let’s keep moving.” Dani pulled the shirt away from her head to see if she was still bleeding. Blood continued to ooze slowly from the laceration on her scalp. 

“Not until I can close that up.” Grace yelled back. 

“Who’s in charge here? Me or you?” Dani was on her way to the tailgate now, getting mad as hell. Grace never questioned her authority in front of others. 

“Sometimes I wonder, Commander.” Grace knew that taunting Dani was never a good idea, but she knew she was right. The Resistance needed their leader back. 

“Fuck you, Harper. This is my operation, and we will do as I say. Do you understand me, soldier?” Dani climbed down out of the truck to face Grace, who had suddenly snapped to attention. Dani never did this to Grace in front of others. She had never questioned Grace’s authority either. She just let the blonde assume command of the whole situation since they left Fort Bliss. Someone had to do it. 

“Yes, ma’am.” Grace stared at a point off in the distance, above Dani’s gaze. 

“Then we keep moving. Now. We have to get to... where the fuck are we even going?” Dani forced her way between Grace and Ruiz to examine the map. Her head started pounding. She realized that she had just been along for the ride from the moment they set out. It was time to get back into the fight, she decided. 

Grace scratched the itch on the tip of her nose, pointing to the interstate on the map. “Here, 80. To Rock Springs. We’re right here, outside Creston.” She rested a hand on Dani’s shoulder. She felt Dani lean into it. “Here’s the list Dane gave us about safe spots and refueling.” Dani took the list in her free hand. 

“What’s Highgate?” It was written at the bottom of the list. 

“Dane said it was in Yellowstone Park. He says we have to stop there. It’s a Resistance stronghold.” 

“Why don’t I know about this, Harper?” Dani was confused. She thought she knew every single Resistance outpost from coast to coast. 

“Not officially registered, maybe? I don’t know, Commander.” Grace stepped back, feeling the weight of Dani’s authority coming back to the light. 

“This is where we are heading?” 

Ruiz stepped in. “Yes, Commander. According to the intel we got in Rifle, this is our best bet if things get bad. It’s in the mountains. They have radio communication with the north, northwest, even as far down as St. Louis. They’re well supplied. Lewis even said they almost had an entire army up there.” 

“Who didn’t tell me about this?” Dani was stupefied by the oversight. 

“Ma’am, maybe they don’t want to be known. You know as well as anyone else, that once an outpost becomes part of the fight, Legion begins to target it.” Ruiz watched Dani for a harsh response about how every human being needed to step up, no matter how dangerous the fight. 

“But if they have an army...” Dani began. 

Grace stood back, scanning the skies. “We need to find cover. We’re just sitting ducks out here.” 

Dani knew she was right. “How far to Highgate?” 

“6, maybe 7 hours? If everything goes smoothly. We need to refuel. We have to go to Rock Springs. Which means we have to take the interstate.” Harrison finally spoke. Dani had wondered if the woman would ever participate other than driving. 

“Well, then Sergeant, we’d better get moving. Lieutenant, will you help me with my head? No one rides in the back of that truck right now. Harper and I will ride up front with Harrison. Ruiz, get a gunner ready for that Grand Am. Daniels, head up the rear, keep guns in the back of the Avalanche. No more than two. Use your horns like you would your Ranger signals. Three times to stop, and so on.” All four Rangers nodded in agreement, fully ready to follow Commander Ramos into the next world. 

It would take about an hour on the freeway to Rock Springs if there were no problems along the way. If Legion left them alone long enough to make a run for it, if the road was intact, if there was nobody laying a trap for them, it would take at least an hour to get there. An hour of being out in the open, knowing that Legion forces were patrolling the main highways. An hour of being hunted. Dani felt uneasy, but sure that her plan was the best way. Her surge of newfound confidence had spread through the Rangers; and everyone involved was ready for a fight if there was to be one. 

Inside the truck cab, Grace readied her first aid supplies. Dani leaned in, and Grace began crudely stitching the open gash on her head. There was no anesthetic to be had. Dani just had to be tough right now. Grace gripped the sides of Dani’s head, looking her in the eye. “I’m sorry,” She whispered. Dani looked back into the sympathetic blue eyes. 

“So am I, Grace.” Dani closed her eyes and waited. 

The needle through her skin burned like fire. Grace took care, and tried to be quick but neat with the whip stitch. The cut was about an inch long, and exposed the bone. Grace had lied when she said it wasn’t that bad. Dani held on to Grace’s thigh, squeezing when the pain got bad every time Grace poked another hole in her. It took a minutes to close the wound. Grace turned Dani around and pulled her hair back into a pony tail. When they were finished, Harrison brought the truck back to life. They peeled out of the barrow ditch, back onto the highway once they’d driven beyond the broken asphalt. 

As they got up onto the interstate, Dani saw a sign on the side of the road, advertising the Continental Divide Trail. She remembered the Divide as a place where the rivers drained into different directions. Water on one side of the divide drained east, and water on the other side drained west. She didn’t really understand how it worked, she just remembered learning about it in school many years ago. 

Grace kept checking on Dani as they drove, making sure she wasn’t suffering any ill-effects from the head injury. Grace was a competent field medic. All the Rangers were. It was part of their training, to be able to patch each other up in the field. Dani assured her she was fine, and Grace turned her attention out the window, rifle at the ready. 

About a half hour into the ride, Grace spotted something on the horizon. At first, she thought it was a flock of black birds. She squinted and tried to focus on whatever it was. She nudged Dani, pointing straight out ahead of them. Dani leaned forward to look at whatever Grace was seeing. The sky grew dark behind the rolling landscape before them. Was it a storm? The dark cloud grew and twisted, resembling a formation of starlings, moving together as one, swooping and diving. “Harrison, stop the truck.” Dani ordered. She had seen those formations before. HKs. A lot of them. Too many.


	8. Drinking Sand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Won't you try to be true 
> 
> That you won't find another way 
> 
> You find it coming out 
> 
> For you to be able to be free 
> 
> Won't you find your way to grace 
> 
> But you can't make it far enough 
> 
> Won't you say that I'm okay 
> 
> To make it safe in your big fate 
> 
> Because You're fucked if you do 
> 
> You're fucked if you don't 
> 
> Because you know what I mean 
> 
> You're fucked if you try to find your own approach." 
> 
> -Grandfather's Prophet

The Legion HKs circled over the town of Rock Springs. That much the Rangers could see. The machines were not heading for them, that Grace could tell through ancient field glasses. They were about twenty minutes away from the town. They sat where they had stopped, watching the swarm of aircraft circling in the distance. Grace could not count how many there were. She could hear what sounded like mortars, or maybe cannons firing from the ground. The people of Rock Springs were fighting, and could use all the help they could get. 

“We should go in,” Grace suggested, pulling her hat down to shield her eyes from the sun. She’d kill for a pair of sunglasses. Major Emery wore dark aviators, and Grace often admired them. She missed Emery in moments like this. He was a force to be reckoned with in an air war. His guidance would prove to be invaluable right now. Grace was sitting by the passenger side door of the truck, door open, her legs hanging out over the edge of the seat. The hum of grasshoppers was faint on the steady afternoon breeze. 

“Grace,” Dani whispered, shifting across the bench seat, closer to the blonde. “We are outgunned, and outmanned. Going in would mean...” Dani stopped herself. It was precisely this type of cowardice that had landed them here in the first place. Dani Ramos had to stop running away. Grace looked back at her, waiting for her to continue. “Going in would mean losing people. All kinds of people. What can we offer this town? We have outdated weapons, no aircraft anymore. What do you think we should do?” 

Grace heard something behind them. A buzzing or a high-pitched rumble. Something was coming up behind them. Ruiz honked twice, signaling Grace to look back. Grace stood on the edge of the door frame, holding the roof to steady herself. She looked up and behind them to see a group of motorcycles approaching fast. There were several vehicles behind the bikes. Grace could hear yells and cheers as the group approached them. She tried to hide the smile on her face, but she could not. Help had arrived in a strange form. 

“Dani, look.” Grace held out her hand, helping Dani to stand up beside her in the truck’s door frame. Grace put and arm around her, holding her close. Dani looked back over their two extra vehicles to see the group pulling up. “It’s the kids.” 

Dane led the group on his dad’s motorcycle. It was an old Harley Davidson panhead from the 1990s, painted jet black. The roar of its engine was impressive. Stacy was glued to his back, wearing a black helmet, bearing the ouroboros on the side. There was a red flag stuck between the saddlebags of the bike and the frame, a homemade flag bearing the Resistance logo. 

“If that don’t just beat fucking everything.” Dani couldn’t decide if she was pissed off or glad that help, in whatever form, had arrived. 

There were twelve motorcycles, each with two riders. The older kids drove, while the younger ones held on for dear life. One of the bikes had a side car, and the passengers looked like they were straight out of a Mad Max movie. They wore old military helmets and goggles, and even had handkerchiefs over their mouths. Come to think of it, that’s what everyone was wearing, Dani realized. They looked every bit the picture of post-apocalyptic road warriors. Dani shook her head, and even managed a laugh. Grace tightened her hold around Dani for a second before letting go. She jumped down to go meet the kids from Rifle. 

Dane offered a salute. “Lieutenant Harper, may I present the Rifle Rangers, at your service!” Grace snapped to and returned the salute, overjoyed to have them here with her, and grateful for the reinforcements. Dane ran right in and hugged her. She knew the fight would be deadly, but this is what they were supposed to do: stop Legion. She led him back to the truck, signaling Ruiz and Daniels to follow. The rest of the Rangers, both Resistance and Rifle, dismounted their rides and mingled together. Dane had brought 30 young souls with him. 

Stacy removed her oversized helmet and ran straight for Dani. As she lowered herself carefully out of the truck, still a little lightheaded, Dani made her way around the front to greet Stacy. The 13-year-old jumped up into her arms. “I knew we’d see you again! Dane told us you’d need help. He said you didn’t have enough soldiers or supplies, so we had to go!” Dani hugged the girl, and she was actually very happy to see her again. Dani almost felt redeemed for her poor choice of leaving them behind. 

“We are very glad to see you, Stacy.” It was a bittersweet moment. She was very glad to see Stacy and the rest of the group. She just was not happy about sending them on a death march to Rock Springs. Dane, Grace, Ruiz, and Daniels joined them. Stacy stood silently next to Dani, trying to be invisible while the heads of the group talked about battle plans. Maps were pulled out and spread across the hood of the truck. Ruiz kept a close eye on the sky to the west, watching a battle between humans and machines unfold. 

“Whatever we do, we better do it quick.” Ruiz announced, as the sound of small arms fire and mortars rang out in the distance. Dane told them he had several boxes of “Hunter/Killer Killers”. That was what he was calling the bomb he had set off when the Rangers first arrived at the town. It was a mix of napalm and something Dane was not about to divulge. “Ancient Chinese secret,” he would say. The Rifle Rangers had several shoulder-mounted anti-aircraft weapons at their disposal. They had also loaded up the Howitzer into one of the trucks, along with every hand grenade, claymore, and firearm they had in stock. They were loaded for bear, he told them. Dane said that they had a mortar set up that could handle the HK Killers. Grace realized they might have a dog in this fight after all. 

Everyone looked to Dani for orders to proceed. Stacy reached out and grabbed her hand. Dani looked at the young girl, who was clearly enamored of her by some sense of hero worship. She squeezed the kid’s hand back in response, looked to her Rangers, all of them now, and said, “This is going to be uglier than The Shove. At least then we had some real firepower behind us. We are going to basically be throwing sticks and stones at Legion today. I anticipate that we will have some serious loss of human life. We could all die in this fight.” Grace cleared her throat, trying to subtly steer Dani toward something more positive. Dani wanted to just kick Grace Harper sometimes. “BUT... what we have together is something that Legion won’t ever have. We have heart. We have homespun wisdom,” Dani winked at Dane, “And we have hope. If we didn’t have hope, we would not be in charge of our own fates. Today, we can draw a line in the sand and tell these fucking machines that WE are not afraid. That WE will not run!” Claps and cheers erupted from the group. “Wherever Legion is, we will stand! And fight!” 

Everyone was with her. She realized that she really DID inspire confidence among people. Was it just her voice? Her presence? Her rank? All three? Was it something else? Perhaps a desperate group of people were so willing to follow her into the desert, that if she told them the sand was water, they would drink it. Dani was leading 44 eager souls into the fray. A mobile infantry unit comprised of war weary soldiers and kids that were about to do battle against a superior fighting force. Dani knew there would be death. But if this is what she was fated to do, then this, is what she would do. 

Right then and there, Commander Ramos registered every single one of the Rifle Rangers into the Resistance. It wasn’t official until she processed the paperwork, but she took their oaths, each holding up their right hand and swearing allegiance to the cause. She watched immature features become hardened and ready to fight, for her, for humanity. She field-promoted Dane Lewis to Sergeant Dane Lewis, instilling him with the power to order and promote his soldiers as he saw fit. She had no insignia to offer him, but he seemed pretty thrilled nonetheless. 

The combined Ranger units had no cover out there on the freeway. Legion would see them coming in less than a few more miles. Dane told them the Howitzer was operational in the back of a truck, so they had the ability to fire on the HKs as they were headed in to the town. He also had the mortars ready to roll. Sergeant Lewis had been preparing for this moment for months. Dani nodded at him, Ruiz, Grace, Daniels, and even Stacy. “Load up. Let’s go.” That was her official command. Dane took Stacy by the hand back to the motorcycle. Grace, Harrison, and Dani loaded up in the truck, Rangers of all ages readied themselves for battle. 

Inside the cab of the truck, Dani sat, wide eyed, straddling the gear shifter. Her head was throbbing. She held her Equalizer in her lap, cocked and ready. Grace looked over at her, smiling. “That’s the Commander we need.” She lowered her voice and whispered, taking Dani’s hand in hers, “and the Dani Ramos I remember.” 

Dani’s heart sank deep. She had just turned boys and girls into men and women far before they were ready. Sarah Connor quietly reminded her, “heavy is the head that wears the crown.”


	9. The Blonde Warrior

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I won't suffer, be broken, get tired, or wasted  
> Surrender to nothing, I'll give up what I  
> Started and stop this, from end to beginning  
> A new day is calling, and I am finally free  
> Fight!  
> Run away, run away, I'll attack."
> 
> -30 Seconds to Mars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is dedicated to someone who keeps on saving me. You know who you are ;)

The town of Rock Springs was absolutely under attack. Revs of all makes and models were on the ground. There were the Rev-2 tanks, the Rev-3 and Rev-4 models that almost resembled humans without skin. The Rev-7s were splitting into two and creating havoc and chaos. There did not seem to be any Rev-9 models, but what would they look like anyway? They were programmed to copy people and infiltrate. HKs circled in the sky above, waiting to drop more machines on the residents. 

The people of the town had all but fled, running for cover anywhere they could. A Resistance flag flew above an old city building, torn and tattered from war and wind. Dani had known about Rock Springs being an official outpost, but it really had no strategic value to it out here. That is why she could not understand the full-on Legion attack. Legion had a method and an objective with each attack it planned. But this? This looked like indiscriminate killing, extermination. 

The truck ambled forward through the main drag. Grace had the passenger side door open and was standing half out of it, already providing cover fire for some boots on the ground. The Pontiac sped around them to the left, followed by the Avalanche. The gunners in both vehicles tried to draw Legion off toward the freeway. Several HKs took the bait and flew away toward the Rifle Rangers who had set up a line of mortars and the Howitzer. Dani could hear the cannon fire from the road, and turned back to watch the kids’ progress. Sergeant Lewis was on the cannon, firing round after round until the weapon got hot. His shots alone took down three Legion aircraft. A single mortar, filled with the Killers, took out two more. Dani watched as the explosive shell detonated and the air surrounding the HKs ignited into a giant fireball. The heat from the blast could be felt all the way in town. Dani felt it on her skin. The truck came to a halt behind a line of sandbags stacked high. Grace jumped out of the truck, taking cover behind the bags while Dani and Harrison slipped out the other side. They regrouped behind the truck as the Rev tanks fired traditional tank shells at the building behind them. “This was not a good idea,” Grace seethed, sneaking up to take single shots at whatever she could hit. Harrison stepped up with her Equalizer and fired several shots into a tank, blowing the area where the personnel hatch would have been. It was the brain of the vehicle, and the depleted uranium shells penetrated beautifully, stopping the tank in its tracks. Dani looked around for a way to escape. The building behind them was basically rubble. It had probably been that way before this attack, but there was no way through. She watched to the west as several residents returned fire on some Revs, running down the street to the south. 

“We can follow them. Let’s go!” As the three Resistance soldiers began to make a getaway, three motorcycles pulled up beside them. Stacy was driving the first one. Two other kids about the same age had the other ones. 

“Get down!” Stacy screamed. The Howitzer fired from somewhere outside the city limits. Dani watched the Killer shell fly through the air at them, as if in a dream. It was slow, languid, as if it were making love to the sky as it sailed in their general direction. Stacy and the other two kids dove behind the sandbags, pulling Dani, Grace, and Harrison down with them. “Hold your breath.” Stacy inhaled and ducked to the ground, covering her head with her arms. The adults, wide eyed and scared, did the same thing. Dani covered Stacy with her body, and Grace covered Dani. 

The explosion was deafening. Grace was pretty sure her ear drums had been blown. The sandbags shifted under the concussion of the blast, pushing them all into and under the truck. The truck took most of the blast, flipping over and catching fire as it crashed into the building behind them. The air above them was on fire. The heat was unreal. Dani felt like her skin was being melted off. If they breathed now, they would die. And just like that, the shockwave was finished. The heat retreated, but was not gone. Grace was terrified to move. Whatever Dane Lewis had created was truly frightening. 

Grace could barely hear the roar of ion drive engines coming in from the north. She braced herself and looked up, prepared to lose her face to the fire. The flames had died back enough that she could see. She still had to shield her face from the fire. She wagered a breath. It was hot, but ok. She tapped Dani and Harrison to sit up. She couldn’t hear fuck all. She shook her head, but the blast had rocked her ears. There were inbound Scorpions, or something kind of like them. These looked more like wasps would. There was a long body, serving as a personnel carrier, wings out to the side, and a stinger at the bottom which looked like a large gun of some sort. She had never seen a machine like that on either side of the war. She could not be sure it was a human creation, but she couldn’t help but look. Five men and four women jumped from the vehicle before it touched down. Instead of landing, the wasp lifted back off and drew the remaining HKs after it. Grace turned her attention to the soldiers, who were all wearing brand new Resistance uniforms, complete with red ouroboros arm bands and additional patches reading "Highgate" in blue. 

“Who the fuck is that?” Grace yelled, a little too loud. 

Dani was astounded. The soldiers were clean cut, professional, and all carried Equalizers. They began opening fire on the Revs surrounding them. Harrison had stepped up and began firing forward as well. The new soldiers did not back off. They held their ground until their ammo ran out. Approaching Rev-7s doubled at once, turning 7 of them, that Dani could count, into 14. The first soldier grabbed an iron bar off the ground and jumped at the machine. She stabbed it straight through its chest, and ripped the bar through the liquid metal shell. That’s when Dani saw it, a long white scar running down her neck, a second one on the other side. They all had them. Every new soldier was able to fight hand to hand with the Revs, using bars and bricks and abandoned firearms to take out the machines. Augments. Dani was looking at 9 augmented human beings. Dani jumped over the sandbags, Stacy hot on her heels, firing at the older Rev models. Sergeant Lewis was still at it with the mortars, and Dani could hear them moving closer to town. Grace stood half between Dani and half between the new soldiers, focused on a Rev-9 endoskeleton. 

Dani realized that no one in her detail would know what the augments were. She supposed they were top secret. She had no idea the process had gone so far already. She clenched her fist, reminding herself of the hardware inside of her. The gunfire was like microwave popcorn: at first it was going a million miles a second, until it slowed down, shots popping off intermittently, until the sky cleared and no machines remained. 

Dani looked around, automatically counting heads. Grace, check. Stacy, check. Harrison. Harrison? “Harrison! Sound off!” She ordered, spinning around. Harrison was laying on the ground behind the sandbags, her feet up on the top of a bag. Dani jumped the hurdle and kneeled beside her. Her face was covered in blood. She was breathing. She reached down, grabbed her shoulders and shook her. “Harrison! Look at me! Grace!!” She called over her shoulder. Grace barely heard her, as is she were miles away. Grace staggered backward, spun around and reached Dani. Harrison had taken a bullet to the head. She was still alive, but barely. Grace shook her head. Harrison’s eyes opened, but they were not right. One looked left. The other was rolled back in her head. She tried to speak, but nothing came out. Her chest began to convulse, as her breathing became more rapid than anything either she or Dani had ever seen. Harrison’s brain was dying. Dani stood up and led Stacy away from the scene, back in the direction of the little girls’ brother. 

Stacy began tugging at Dani’s shirt, trying to get her attention. Dani turned to face the little girl. “What’s wrong?” Stacy was crying, her voice shook terribly. 

“That man. He’s dead.” Dani turned to look behind her. 

“What man?” The only person she could see was an augment coming toward her. 

“Him. He was at the back of the group. A machine killed him.” Stacy whispered, positioning Dani’s body in the direction of the augmented soldier. 

“Commander Ramos!” The man’s voice was strong and loud. He moved with a purpose. He stopped several feet away from her, as if waiting for her to confirm her identity. 

“Yeah? Who the fuck are you?” She asked, no longer the Commander of anything. She was Dani Ramos, scared and untrusting. 

The soldier’s arms began to shift and change into something black and terrifying. Where his hands once were, there were now two long spears. He began to move quickly, like lightning toward her. Stacy was pulling her backward, but there was nowhere to go. The Rev-9 was nearly on top of her. Several shots began to ring out, and the Rev’s head began to take fire. 

“Dani! Get down!” Grace was yelling from somewhere miles away. Dani felt like she was in a dream. Stacy pulled and pulled on her, tugging her roughly to the ground. Grace resumed firing on the machine, even as it raised its arms up to kill Commander Ramos. The remaining augments stood, looking on in horror. They had missed the copy also. Seeing as her shots were really doing no good, Grace launched herself forward toward the Rev, pummeling it in the face with the butt of her rifle. The machine fell back several steps under the force that was Grace. “Dani! RUN!” Grace screamed, jumping at the machine a second time, trying not to get impaled. She hit the machine again, square in the jaw, but this time, it slapped her away like a fly. Grace fell to the ground, flat on her back. 

The Rev turned away from Grace and began moving toward Dani again, predatory, hunting her. Dani pushed Stacy away and told her to run. Dani turned in the direction of the Rangers and took off sprinting. The Rev was in pursuit. Then again, so were 8 augments and Grace. One augment opened fire on the machine, distracting it, as the other seven corralled it. Dani stopped running to watch in horror. She could not help but look on as the circle of soldiers closed the distance between themselves and the Legion infiltrator. The scene was out of a cinematic bar brawl. Fists began flying, shots rang out, chunks of concrete were thrown, blood was flying. Soon, all Dani could see was Grace running straight for her, Dani moved around Grace and watched as the augments began taking fatal stabs from the infiltrator’s shiv-like weapons. One by one they dropped to the ground. Grace was behind Dani, pulling her back. The Rev was injured, one arm had been torn off and a leg was badly damaged. It was having a hard time walking and keeping its balance. Dani reached one of the dying augments, and knelt down beside her. “Keep him busy, Grace!” 

Grace summoned every bit of courage and strength she had, picked up an iron bar from the concrete rubble, and ran straight at the machine, bending the bar across its face. Her war cry was fierce. She spun around and hit it again, harder this time, knocking the Rev to the ground. She stepped up, picked up a fallen Equalizer and unloaded it straight into the Revs gaping mouth. When she ran out of ammunition, she began to hit the thing repeatedly with the rifle. Rangers began to arrive with more weapons, as Grace continued bashing the Rev’s skull. 

Dani looked at the dying augment in front of her, a woman named Sophie. The woman knew she was dead already, and Dani apologized for what she had to do. The woman’s midsection was already torn apart thanks to the Rev. Dani reached down deep inside Sophie’s guts to extract her power source. She pulled the blue cylinder from inside, watching sparks arc across her fingers. It was playing against the Legion hardware in her own hand. She felt weak, as if the reactor was a piece of kryptonite. But Dani was no Superman. She turned on her knees, several feet from where Grace was mercilessly pounding the Rev. Grace’s screams were becoming weak, and her strength was giving out. 

“Grace! Catch!” She threw the reactor through the air, hoping Grace’s reflexes were as good as they were in the past. Grace did not move, but turned her head just in time to see the small cylinder flying toward her. She reached out one hand and caught it. Grace seemed stunned that she had done it at all. “Shove it in his fucking mouth!” Dani screamed. Grace dropped the rifle, sunk to her knees beside the machine, and jammed the reactor between its ugly, metal teeth. The sparks began to fly, looking like electricity coming off of a Tesla coil. The blue arcs were brilliant even in the light of day. The Rev couldn’t respond. It just screamed as the reactor began to fry its brain. Grace stood, backing away. The Rangers watched from their position about a block away. There was a flash, bright as the sun, as the Rev-9 faltered and started to shut down. The plasma ejecta surrounded Grace and the machine. She fell back, landing on her ass, watching in stunned horror as the machine writhed until it finally stopped moving for good. 

Dani stood up, collecting herself. She looked at Grace, who was struggling to get up to her feet. She walked over to where Grace stood, still staring at the dead machine. Dani took Grace’s hand, leading her as far away from there as she could. Grace staggered and swayed along behind her, exhausted. When they had regrouped with the Rangers, Dani stopped to take a look at Grace. “That was close.” Grace breathed heavily, trying to regain control of her body. 

“Any closer, and you’d be …" Dani didn’t want to finish that sentence. Dani suddenly realized the attack on Rock Springs had been bait for her. Legion knew she was in the area and wouldn't hesitate to fight. 

“I’m ok, Dani. I promise. Did that just happen? I’ve never fought one of those before.” Grace spat on the ground behind her, at the Rev. Fucking machines. 

“That was not human. That was Legion. We have to go, Grace. Right now.” Dani issued the command, for everyone to get moving. Ruiz, Daniels, and the remaining Rangers took the civilian vehicles. Dani and Grace met with Dane to find somewhere to ride. Neither of them was in any shape to drive, as shock began to set in. Dani slung hers and Grace’s Equalizers over her shoulder, took Grace by the arm, and led her to one of the trucks in Dane’s command. The second to last truck had a cab full of kids. Two of them moved to get out of Dani’s way, but she stopped them, and helped Grace into the back. It had a topper on it which would provide them cover and room enough to check each other for injuries. Plus, Grace deserved an explanation after risking her life. 

The sun was starting to set. Dani watched out the topper window, looking for incoming Legion machines. They needed to get off the road. Dani reached behind her, pounding on the sliding window that separated them from the cab. The driver reached around, no older than 13 years old, skin pocked and cratered by acne. “What’s your name, kid?” Dani asked, trying to be civil and human. 

“Everyone calls me Crazy Carrie, ma’am. What can I do for you?” 

Dani hadn’t known the driver was even a girl till right then. The kid’s hair was short, tucked underneath a black baseball cap. “Carrie, we need to get off this road. It’s going to be dark soon and we need to find shelter.” 

“You got it, Commander.” Crazy Carrie slid the window shut and hit the gas, passing the rest of the vehicles, and approached the motorcycles. Dani watched her pull up beside Dane and Stacy, signal him to follow, and pulled forward to where Ruiz was leading. She relayed the message to the kid in the passenger side, who rolled down his window and shouted the order to Ruiz. They drove for a few more miles, pulling off the road near a town called Farson. 

Grace was tired. She was hungry. She was glad they were alive. Whatever information Dani had stored away in a secret place, Grace was grateful for. She leaned back in the truck bed, taking stock of her body. She didn’t think she had anything more than a few major bruises. She then realized her pack was in that truck back in Rock Springs. As was most of their food. This was not going to be a fun night. It was already starting to get cold. The elevation was increasing. Grace’s ears began to pop, rather unpleasantly. 

They drove slowly through the main drag of Farson, which seemed to be completely deserted. Dani and Grace had learned a valuable lesson about assuming places were empty. Dani did not want to stay in town. Not even close. She signaled for Carrie to keep driving. They pulled off finally, at a rest station in the middle of nowhere. Back before the war, these places had stocked vending machines and running water. Probably neither of those things existed now, but it would provide shelter if necessary, and could be a defensible position if Legion caught up tonight. 

Grace met with her rangers to check supplies and equipment. Every ranger but Dani and Grace had their packs. Several had tents and a little food. Dane brought jerky, oats, and granola for the trip. Enough for 50 people for a couple of days, he said. In the dying light, the two Ranger groups set up camp. There would be no fire tonight. Grace would just be grateful for a place to sleep tonight, even if it was in the back of the truck. 

That was exactly where she and Dani ended up. Ruiz lifted a few blankets and a sleeping bag, along with two spare bedrolls. Stacy offered Dani her pink barbie pillow. Dani thanked her and said she’d just roll up her field jacket. Grace assigned shifts for the night watch. Dane and Ruiz both voted to excuse Grace and Dani from watch tonight, since they had saved everyone and both nearly died. Dane gave Grace a bag full of food. Grace thanked him and returned to the truck. Dani had already unrolled everything to make their bed for the night. Grace could not wait to lay down; to lay down next to Dani. 

Grace crawled in over the tailgate, shut the topper hatch, and bumped her head on the roof. She groaned and fell back to her knees. Rubbing her head, she felt Dani beside her in the dark, pulling her down. Grace laid on her right side. Her left side felt bruised right under her scar. Another war wound from a Rev. “Are you ok?” Dani whispered, laying to face her partner. Dani’s voice was soft now, and Grace began to relax. Grace had missed the soft whispers between them. It felt like it had been years since she last laid beside Dani, talking in the dark. The waning moon provided very little light to see by. Grace reached to touch Dani, running her fingers along the brunette’s side. She was still wearing armor. 

“Yeah, I'm better now. Are YOU ok?” Grace began to pull at the velcro straps keeping the vest strapped to Dani’s chest. 

“Yes. Grace, I owe you an explanation.” Dani’s mind was reeling with all kinds of images and memories. 

Grace’s nimble fingers kept working at the vest, as Dani began working at the blonde’s armor. “You don’t owe me anything. I’m sure you have access to all kinds of information. I’m just glad you know what you know. When this is all over, then you can tell me.” Grace whispered softly and leaned in to find Dani’s mouth in the dark. She was clumsy, and her aim was off, but she kissed her way across Dani’s face, finding her goal. Dani responded, kissing Grace back, hard and fierce. She grabbed Grace’s face and pressed her lips harder against her partner’s. She began sobbing, the reality of what had happened suddenly hitting her. Grace pulled her in very close, pulling Dani’s vest away, working at her shoulder guards next. She unstrapped them and let them fall away. Dani fumbled with Grace’s armor without being able to see. Grace helped her and stripped herself down to just her service t-shirt. 

Dani’s hands began to travel across Grace’s torso, feeling the very human woman next to her. Dani needed her, to feel grounded. They’d been too close to the machines. They had been angry at each other. All Dani wanted was to feel human and be with Grace. Her need was urgent. Her sobs never relented. She was overwhelmed, hyperventilating. She was breaking apart. 

“Grace.” 

“I’m here, Daniella. Be with me.” Grace reached down and unbuttoned Dani’s fatigue shirt, and gently pulled it off the brunette. Grace reached down and lifted her own service shirt up, raking it above her breasts, taking a second to do the same with Dani’s shirt. She wrapped an arm around the commander, pulling her close, giving her the much needed skin-on-skin contact. “Breathe with me, my love.” Grace pushed her other arm under Dani’s head, cradling her skull in the crook of her arm. “I’ve got you. Breathe.” The blonde warrior was the shield against Dani Ramos’s fear and panic. Grace then put her hand on the back of Dani’s head, guiding the commander’s face down to rest against her chest. “Listen.” The strong heart beating within her lover’s chest moored Dani in the storm that was consuming her. There were things about Grace that Dani loved and needed, never once speaking out loud. Grace paid attention and registered those things, always ready to give them. Those things made the moments of terror bearable. 

Grace felt Dani start to come down. Her breathing began to stabilize, her sobbing grew weaker, her cries softer against Grace’s chest. Grace rubbed her back in slow circles, her whispers in Dani’s ear were only for her. Grace kissed her forehead, keeping her lips connected to Dani’s skin. She had protected her from the Rev-9, protected her from two HK Killer blasts that day, and protected her from losing herself tonight. She pulled Dani tighter still, wrapping a leg around the brunette’s, cradling her. Dani held on to Grace for dear life. They remained like that for a while, as long as Dani needed, Grace decided. 

Dani had no concept of how much time had passed, laying there with Grace. All she knew was that the blonde warrior had proven her worth ten times over today. She took a deep breath, finally feeling a little more normal. She raised her head and kissed the skin over Grace’s heart. She loved her so deeply, from her inherent loyalty and strength, to her gentle touch when Dani needed it most. Dani continued kissing the warm skin, up across Grace’s chest, to her broad shoulder, up along the expanse of Grace’s neck, her jaw, her chin; finally feeling the blonde’s head dip to kiss Dani’s mouth. It wasn’t as hurried on that dangerous edge anymore. The kiss was soft, gentle, and full of love and belonging. Dani opened her mouth against Grace’s inviting her partner to come home to her. Grace responded, slipping her tongue against Dani’s, lazy and fluid. Dani moaned softly into the kiss, suddenly feeling a different, no less urgent need, begin to consume her. 

“Grace?” She felt like she was begging, without saying anything. She felt Grace nod, resuming their kiss. She pulled Dani’s shirt up over her head, following it with her own. 

“We really have to be quiet tonight.” Grace didn’t need to say more, but she would give Dani everything she wanted. Dani nodded, unbuttoning Grace’s uniform pants. She wanted Grace badly right then. She had heard about sudden traumatic events spurring sexual desire. The truth is, she would have wanted Grace anyway. But after the last 18 hours, this seemed more than gratuitous. This was mandatory to complete their connection. Dani reached inside of Grace’s underwear, gasping at the heat trapped there. Grace throbbed at the commander’s touch. She began breathing harder as Dani started stroking her slowly, bringing her length to life. Dani took Grace’s hand and lowered it to the button of her own trousers. Grace took the direction, using one hand to undo the trappings of the commander’s pants. She slipped her fingers down, inside Dani’s cotton panties, gently cupping her. She pressed her palm against Dani’s skin, softly rubbing back and forth, letting her fingertips trail across the outside of Dani’s opening. She didn’t want to rush, and took her time making sure Dani was ready. 

Dani leaned back and took her pants completely off. Dani was completely naked for Grace. Her vulnerability only made Grace want to protect her more. Grace brought the borrowed blankets up around Dani’s body, covering her while she took off her own pants and boots. She laid back down, half on top of Dani. “Grace, I know earlier I said I’d suck your-” 

Grace cut her off with a kiss. “No. Not tonight.” Her gentleness with Dani made the brunette’s heart ache deeply. 

“Oh,” Dani moaned as Grace shifted, pulling her on top. Dani straddled Grace, laying down on top of her, kissing the blonde warrior. Grace slipped her arms across Dani’s back. 

“We’re going to come, together, just like this.” Grace whispered, positioning herself at the right spot. Dani shivered and slowly sank down onto Grace’s hard shaft. She took it one single inch at a time. She went slow and easy, not wanting anything rough. Grace moaned softly, feeling Dani’s velvet heat cover her. Dani held Grace inside of her, fully sheathing the soldier. She clenched herself around Grace, feeling full, held. Dani rested against Grace, rocking back and forth, feeling Grace nearly leave her, then slide softly back in. Grace’s hands on her back were heaven, and Dani laid her head down to listen to the heartbeat quicken with every move she made. Grace felt tears begin to form in her eyes. She had nearly lost this woman today, body and soul. She could not let it happen again. Grace wept silently, breathing heavily, hiding her sobs, but Dani knew. She knew. She started moving faster, taking Grace deeper inside, rubbing herself against the blonde’s pubic bone. Dani felt herself getting close. She looked up, rubbing her cheek against Grace’s, loving the heat. “Come with me, Grace.” She felt Grace nod. Dani pulled Grace’s arms down, held her hands and pushed them up over the blonde’s head. Dani ran her fingertips down over the sensitive skin of Grace’s forearms, her inner upper arms, dragging her fingers through the hair in Grace’s armpits. She dragged her fingers back up, tangling her fingers back together with Grace’s. She leaned down and kissed her deeply, moving faster and faster, wanting to feel Grace throb, pulsate inside of her, and give her everything she had. She moved a little harder, taking the blonde deeper still, feeling the head of Grace’s cock pushing against her womb. Dani began to shake and shudder, her back arched, her breasts pressed tight against Grace’s. 

“Grace...” Her orgasm washed over her like a giant wave, cleansing her spirit. She collapsed on top of the blonde warrior. Dani’s entire body pulsed as her blood rushed throughout her entire body. 

“Dani... oh, Dani...” Grace stumbled into her own ecstasy, convulsing, thrusting, pushing and spilling her seed inside her greatest love. Grace wrapped her arms completely around the commander, holding her as close as she could, and it still was not enough. “I love you so much.” The whisper in Grace’s ear told her everything she ever needed to know.


	10. Hellraiser

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I'll kill you in my dreams  
> I turn the other cheek during the day  
> I'll kill you all  
> The subculture of my dreams  
> Is waiting for me to fall asleep  
> I know you're scared you should be  
> I know you're scared  
> Hero."
> 
> -Live, Heropsychodreamer

The dream held Grace like an evil lover, stroking her fears so gently, cradling her soul in a chasm of terror. The machines marched on her, from every angle. She stood, naked in the center of a ring of Legion demons. Their red, glowing eyes burning bright as the sun. She felt the heat from the machines radiating against her exposed skin. She could hear the grinding of gears and metal teeth as they closed in on her. Metal, skeletal feet pounded a rhythm out in time with her heartbeat. The faster her pulse, the faster their feet. She felt the first spear enter her back, right through her spine. The machine held her up, as another spear, then another passed through her flesh effortlessly. They had her run through at the arms, shoulders, neck, legs, and chest. She could see the black, metal limbs exiting the skin of her front side, turning into cold black snakes. The serpents coiled around her breasts, her cock, her belly and thighs, squeezing like constrictors. The Revs held her upright, like a puppet, moving her body for her. She had no control. She had become part of them. They were inside her. Grace understood these monsters all at once. She could hear their thoughts. The mantra repeated, bouncing off the inside of her skull, “kill! Kill! Kill.” That was all they knew, all they cared about, all they were. The death bringers were built to annihilate humanity. Grace saw a small form standing in front of her then, the brown hair dangled down loosely across the naked, bronze skin. Grace would know her anywhere. Dani. The machines propelled Grace forward, no matter how she tried to resist. Grace tried to scream, but the sound got lost in her throat as another spear pierced her throat from behind. The scream was just a spattering of blood flying out in front of her, spilling down her naked breasts. She was forced on Dani, forced to fuck her with a metal spear where her cock used to be. The snakes coiled around Dani too, embracing her, bloody and cold. Grace’s terror was elevated beyond her understanding. Everything inside of her stopped dead. She couldn’t feel. All she could do was watch as she began to fuck, harder and harder, killing Dani from inside of her. Grace watched as the serpents bit Dani’s tender flesh everywhere, injecting venom, drawing blood. Dani’s blood formed a trail, much like a melted Rev-9 exoskeleton, creeping up Grace’s legs, flowing into her wounds, keeping her alive to witness the destruction of her love. Grace tried to scream again, but it was empty air. Grace’s hands were all over Dani as the brunette screamed and writhed in pain. Grace grabbed a handful of brown hair, yanking Dani’s head back hard, forcing the commander to arch her back. Grace forced her down on her knees, watching blood spill from between her legs, pulling her head even further back and down. Grace began to cry. This wasn’t her. This wasn’t her. She reached with her free arm, which was now a machine’s arm, grabbing Dani’s feet, pulling them up toward her head, which Grace was still forcing backward. She bent Dani’s body into a broken circle, forcing Dani’s mouth open until the jaw broke, as Grace stuffed the brunette’s feet deep inside her mouth. The machines pulled Grace away to stand and gaze upon her astonishing creation. The ouroboros. Metal limbs scraped their way out of Grace’s body, dropping her to the ground, limp. She could only watch in horror as Dani’s body balanced precariously like a wheel, as the brunette choked on her own feet. Grace felt helpless, unable to move at all. 

“Grace!” The word sounded foreign and distant. It wasn’t even her name anymore. It was just a sound. “Grace!” Louder now, but not familiar. She felt hands on her shoulders, gripping, digging into her skin. She felt cold metal beneath her body. “Grace, wake up!” The sudden slap across her face jolted her upright, as if she’d been struck by lightning. “Grace!” She felt her arms and legs shoot out from her body, independent of her mind. She hit something soft and hard at the same time. Grace blinked several times, feeling a weight pressing her down on her chest, holding her. She felt another hand, and then another, holding her arms and legs as she struggled to break free. More voices, male, female alike, calling her name. “Grace.” The name was being sung like a chorus, bringing her into another reality. The warm hand splayed across her chest told her the truth. She’d been asleep, lost and trapped deep inside of a nightmare. She blinked again, trying to focus on something. It was dark. “Grace, wake up.” She recognized the voice of her partner, and began to relax, no longer fighting the hands pressing her down. 

“Dani?” She was disoriented, scared. Grace’s pulse must have been going a mile a second. Her chest heaved as she panted, her breath turning over into deep, shaking sobs. Grace’s body quaked under the hands that held her. 

“Grace, it’s me. Come back.” Dani’s voice was close now. The hand on her chest, rubbing in gentle circles, fighting off Grace’s terror. Grace looked up, finally able to hone in on the voice. Dani’s features were contorted into pure fear. She laid her head back against something cold and hard. She was in the bed of the truck still. She began to come around more, hearing hushed whispers of comfort. There were people in the truck with them. Grace looked down and saw she was completely naked. She saw Dane, Stacy, and Ruiz all around her, holding her body still, preventing her from thrashing out and hurting herself. Grace’s body was wet, covered in sweat. She smelled the acrid scent of urine too, praying it was part of the nightmare. She felt the flush of shame rush right through her, naked and exposed, having probably soiled herself. 

“Dani?” Grace’s voice was small, weak. She was still scared. 

“I’m here, Grace.” Dani waved the others off, certain she had things well in hand now. She hated to call for help in the first place, but she wasn’t about to be strangled again either. She had jumped from the truck bed immediately when she realized Grace was caught in a vicious nightmare. She had watched the blonde’s body jump, shake, convulse, almost certain the woman’s screams would roust the entire camp. She started to relax and knelt beside Grace, bringing a blanket up over the warrior’s body. Grace tried to sit, propping herself on shaky elbows. Dani shifted around bringing Grace up between her legs, leaning her against her chest. Dani laid back against the side of the truck bed, wrapping her arms around Grace’s shoulders. Dani held her tight, murmuring soft words in the blonde’s ear, encouraging her to relax and let Dani hold her there. 

Grace was suddenly overcome by a new feeling of fear. “Did I hurt you?” She whispered to her partner. Grace’s body was still trembling. Dani soothed her, touching her gently across her chest and belly. 

“No. I’ve got you. I’m right here. Feel me.” The grounding technique was one used by Grace quite frequently when Dani felt like she was being launched into outer space. Grace had been prone to panic all of her life, understandably so, and was able to bring herself and eventually Dani, down to calmer levels through the technique. Grace just needed to feel rooted in the world. The blonde shifted onto her side, pressing her cheek against Dani’s chest, over her heart. “That’s it, my love, hear me.” 

Dani Ramos felt terrible for the tortured soldier. This episode was bad, nearly as awful as the night Grace had unknowingly attacked her at Fort Bliss. She held the blonde warrior, now rubbing her back and shoulders, pulling the blanket up over them both. Dani was only wearing her t-shirt and unbuttoned uniform pants. She had dressed hurriedly, pulling her clothes on as she jumped out of the truck. Dane had met her around the side of the vehicle, witnessing Dani being shirtless. Grace’s screams had woken the boy. Dani suddenly remembered to give Grace contact with her body. She reached down, pulled up her shirt as high as she could, and whispered to Grace to touch her. 

The two laid there, coming down from the pedestal of fear, one rung at a time. The sun was coming up, and Dani could hear the voices of rangers as they stirred from a tempestuous night. As Grace became steadier, she sat up, pulling out of Dani’s protective grasp. Dani watched her, just making sure she was alright. “What do you need, Grace?” 

“Clothes.” Grace looked around at the mess she’d made of the truck bed. Everything was wet or damp, strewn across the expanse of the bed. Dani took her hand, trying to delicately help Grace understand that she’d lost control of her body, and her clothes were ruined. So were Dani’s pants for that matter. Grace could smell it. It wasn’t the first time, but she was no less ashamed of pissing herself during moments of outrageous fear. She was an adult and it was still happening. If she hadn’t felt broken before, she certainly did now. She’d never done this in front of Dani. 

“Wait here. I’ll find something for you.” Dani leaned in and kissed Grace’s cheek, quickly making her way out of the truck to go see Dane and Stacy. The two kids were approximately Grace and Dani’s sizes, respectively. Grace pulled the wool blanket up over herself, covering her exposed body against the chill in the air as well as her humiliation. Grace took stock of the damage, sorting things into wet piles and dry piles. Her blanket, her socks, boots, and Dani’s boots were about the only dry items, along with her boonie hat. The rest of the blankets and the sleeping bag were wet. Dani’s jacket had been spared the fiasco. Grace’s field jacket was wet from her sweat, but she decided that was ok. 

Dani returned shortly with a stack of neatly folded clothes. She handed the top half to Grace, and came to sit beside her. She undressed from her own clothes, exchanging them for a clean white t-shirt, it was just a little small, but smelled like the homemade soap from the house in Rifle. The pair of underwear were pink cotton, clean and tight. Dani was fuller through the hips than Stacy was, but she wasn’t about to complain. The jeans were torn at the knee, but fit almost perfectly. Dani folded the cuffs and tucked them into her boots. She pulled the elastic hair tie off her wrist and pulled her hair back, trying not to watch Grace change. She wanted the blonde to keep as much of her dignity as she could right now. Grace pulled a dark blue tank top over her head. Dane had gifted her a pair of white boxers, some socks, and a set of camouflage fatigues. Grace’s arms and legs were longer than Danes, though not by much. The pants fit well enough to be tucked into her boots. She rolled the shirt sleeves up to her elbows so that she didn’t notice how short the cuffs were over her wrists. She ran her fingers through her sweat soaked hair, pushing it back out of her face. She needed a haircut. 

Once she was dressed, Dani moved in to help Grace sort things. Grace’s hands were still trembling slightly, mostly now out of embarrassment. Dani reached out and touched her gently, reassuring her it was okay now. They rolled the wet things into a blanket, and Grace loaded it up under her arm, and crawled out of the truck bed. Dani just let her go. Grace needed time alone to come to terms with this. Dani packed up everything else and headed to the rest of the camp. 

The Rangers were sitting around, eating rations for breakfast. She joined Ruiz, Dane, and Stacy where they were seated in the grass. “Is she ok, Commander?” Stacy asked. 

“Yes, she’s fine. Thank you all for your help. She’ll say the same thing in her own way when she’s ready.” Dani’s voice was subdued, as she forced herself to eat breakfast. 

“It’s not necessary, Commander. We all know what it’s like.” Ruiz attempted to comfort her. Dani worried for Grace. Dani kept her eyes in the direction that Grace walked off, waiting impatiently for the blonde warrior to rejoin her. 

“We have to figure out where we’re going and how to get there,” Dane suggested, shoveling oatmeal into his mouth. 

“We will wait for Lieutenant Harper.” Dani commanded gently, looking back to see if the woman was on her way yet. 

The Rangers spoke to each other in quiet tones, words unintelligible to Dani’s ears. She didn’t know what they were saying, and it didn’t matter really. She didn’t feel like talking to anyone right now. She realized, however, that she had not seen Grace take any medication since leaving Fort Bliss. Their exodus from the base had been rushed, and most likely the pills were left behind. “Dane, Ruiz? What do we have for medications in this outfit?” Dani asked. 

Ruiz considered the question for a moment. “Aspirin, penicillin, maybe some valuim, and morphine.” 

“What do you need exactly, Commander?” Stacy piped in. 

Dani looked around again for Grace, not seeing her yet, but still lowered her voice. “Grace was taking a mood stabilizer before we left Texas. I don’t think she has it anymore. If she did, it would have been in her pack which was blown up in our truck. It helped with the anxiety, PTSD, and the nightmares.” 

“Wait here.” Stacy jumped up and ran off in the direction of Dane’s motorcycle. Dani watched her root through the saddle bags. The girl pulled out a gallon-sized ziploc bag of pill bottles and ran back to Dani. She sat right beside the Commander, pulling one bottle out after the next. “We have muscle relaxers, an antipsychotic, antidepressants, blood pressure pills, hydrocodone, amoxicillin, baby aspirin, and,” Stacy held up the last bottle, unmarked, “I don’t know what these are. I just grabbed everything from our house.” 

“Who were all of those for?” Dani wondered who might be taking a list of medications that serious. 

“All of us, from time to time.” Dane spoke up, still eating. 

“You know what they do?” Dani couldn’t believe she was putting her partner’s mental health in the hands of children. 

“Yeah, absolutely.” Stacy said, rolling the bottles back and forth between her legs. 

Dani looked up and saw Grace walking quickly toward them. “Ok, put them away, and we’ll talk later.” Dani said, standing to meet Grace. The tall blonde looked good in the camouflage fatigue uniform. It reminded Dani of when she first met Grace at the water tower. Grace’s hair was just about as long now as it was then too. Grace had her game face back on. Dani nodded to her as she approached. “Are you ok, mi amor?” Grace looked down at her with gentle blue eyes, nodding silently. “Good, we have to get ready to move.” Dani didn’t bother to ask what Grace had done with the soiled things. She had come back empty handed. 

Grace, Dani, Ruiz, Daniels, and Dane gathered around the hood of the Pontiac, working out their next move. Stacy, ever present at Dani’s side, held the Commander’s shirt tail, looking on. She reminded Dani of a remora attached to a shark, feeding on it, cleaning it at the same time; a symbiotic relationship much like the one Dani and Stacy now shared. Dane would not meet Dani’s eyes at all that morning, since he saw her half dressed in the dark. 

“We’ve got a full day of driving up toward the park. Highgate is about right here,” Dane pointed to the spot on the map just west of Yellowstone Lake.” 

“Are we sure we even want to go there?” Ruiz asked. “The whole place has been shrouded in mystery. Those soldiers were different. Were they robots? I mean are we going to talk about yesterday?” 

“Yes. We have to. There are things you all need to know.” Dani felt Grace step beside her, half behind her, pressing herself into the Commander’s back, steadying her without even realizing it. 

Dani began the story about the augmentation process. How, when her hand was injured, the Resistance doctors had rebuilt it with reverse engineered Legion parts. Dani took a deep breath, reached down for Grace’s hand, and began to explain how she knew everything, starting with the day at the car factory. She omitted Grace’s name from the story, simply calling her ‘the Resistance Soldier’. She’d explain the rest to Grace later when they were alone. Rangers and kids stood around them, captivated by the tale of time travel and augments sent to protect Dani Ramos in a time most of them didn’t remember. Dani finally looked up to see almost everyone in the group watching, listening. 

“Do we go to Highgate? I don’t know. Is it safe? I don’t know that either. We have to make a decision though. We can go right by it and head for Montana, which was our original plan. But we take a vote. I’m not commanding this decision by myself. I need all of you.” Even though it was not a democracy, Dani demanded they all make a choice. “All of you.” She acknowledged the entire Ranger division under her command. 

“Ok,” Grace announced. “All for Montana, raise your hands!” There were a few hands that went up in the air, not many though. “Ok... all for Highgate, where they’re probably making an army of Captain America’s?” The joke wasn’t funny to everyone, but the majority raised their hands, hopeful of a new line of defense against Legion. “Dani?” 

Commander Ramos raised her hand for Highgate. The decision was final. Rangers mustered and packed up vehicles, boarding trucks and motorcycles. Grace took command of the truck they’d slept in, offering a few of the Rangers a place to ride while she drove. She needed to feel in control of something. She took Dani by the hand and led her to the cab. They loaded up and headed north toward Yellowstone Park. Gods willing, they’d make it there in just a few hours.


	11. Ghost Lights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “So lead me back  
> Turn south from that place  
> And close my eyes from my recent disgrace  
> 'Cause you know my call  
> We'll share my all  
> Now children come and they will hear me roar  
> So give me hope in the darkness that I will see the light  
> 'Cause oh that gave me such a fright  
> But I will hold as long as you like  
> Just promise me we'll be alright.” 
> 
> -Mumford and Sons

Grace drove in silence, still troubled from the event early in the morning. The nightmare faded in and out of her consciousness. She remembered bits and pieces, trying to process some, forget the rest. She could feel Dani close beside her, even though the Commander didn’t have to ride right next to her in the truck. Grace kept both hands on the wheel, eyes forward. Everything inside of her was coming to a head. She’d been without her medication for too long. The dreams and fears, anxiety and panic, were all creeping back in faster than Grace could cope. Even her meditation tools weren’t holding the hounds at bay anymore. 

Grace hadn’t eaten anything yet that day. She felt like she was barely sleeping. Of course, she was feeling rotten. She hadn’t been taking care of herself on the road. And she’d also fought a Rev-9. It was the first one she’d ever seen up close. It looked just like an ordinary human being, except for the scars on its face and neck. She tried to contemplate the details of augmentation that Dani somehow knew about. She wondered about the anonymous Resistance soldier sent back in time to protect Dani. Grace tried not to question the Commander’s decision about things, but the whole story was hard to believe. If Legion had developed a time travel device, Dani would never be safe anywhere or any time. 

Grace felt the weight of her Glock, hanging down from her belt. She remembered all those nights on guard duty, alone, or with Vanda, considering another option to stop her internal screaming once and for all. Today was no different. Grace wanted to just be alone. She was allowing her responsibilities as a Ranger drive her forward instead. The woman sitting next to her was another matter entirely. Grace’s heart was broken right now. She had humiliated herself in front of Dani, yet again. No, she had not physically hurt Dani, but Grace just did not believe that she was capable of being the stable partner Daniella Ramos deserved. 

Grace looked down at the gas gauge. Less than a quarter of a tank remained. The big personnel truck that carried all their fuel was gone. The afternoon was burning quickly into evening. She had seen a road sign a few miles back saying they were just a way off from a town called Jackson, WY. It had been on Dane’s fuel stop list. Hopefully they could find gas and shelter for the night there. The road before her stretched out into an infinite line, creeping ever upward toward the sky. The elevation of the land was increasing about a hundred feet with every mile they passed, at least. Grace’s head was starting to hurt. Her mood was devolving into sadness and self-hatred. She just wanted to get away from everyone for a while. Dani didn’t have much to say while they were driving, which Grace thought was a godsend. Dani knew Grace’s moods, and after the nightmare, she would know that Grace wasn’t up for conversation unless it involved the Rangers or their trek north. 

She heard Dani’s breathing change into something more even. She glanced down at the commander, seeing her head lolling down and to the side. Grace reached over, slipped an arm around Dani’s shoulders and pulled her in tight to rest. She felt Dani stir and run an arm across her lap. Grace nodded to herself and kept driving, watching the convoy in front of her and the skies all around. 

The mountains surrounding Jackson were gorgeous, covered in snow. They were giant, jagged rocks pointing high into the sky, dwarfing the town below. Grace thought that maybe, in another life, this would be a nice place to live. Trees covered the landscape for as far as Grace could see. She could imagine camping out here, fishing, living a normal life, whatever that was anymore. Grace’s emptiness was consuming her. She fought tooth and nail to push it back down inside of her, and hold it together right now. They needed fuel and rest. She needed both. 

The convoy pulled into town, down the main street. The small city looked untouched by the ravages of the war with Legion. It was almost too good to be true. Grace woke Dani gently, talking her gently back to consciousness. Dani sat up, resting her hand on Grace’s upper thigh. God, Grace loved her touch. It was a beacon of light in a world of darkness for her. Dani leaned toward her, and Grace turned her head quickly to receive the kiss on Dani’s lips. “We’re in Jackson. I think we should stop here for the night. Today had been unusually calm. Legion should have been right on top of us since last night.” 

Dani agreed that it was strange that the machines, knowing where she was exactly, had not come back for her. The sun was going down quickly, beginning to dip below the high mountains. Grace could feel the chill in the air beginning to win the fight over the warm autumn afternoons. 

Dane pulled them into the parking lot of an old restaurant. They could meet, try to find residents, and decide how to proceed. Grace parked the truck in front of the building, behind Ruiz, as the horde of motorcycle children circled around them and stopped in a line. As Grace stepped out of the old pickup, she slung her rifle over her shoulder and placed a steady hand on the grip of her pistol. She looked around, watching for signs of life in general, or more specifically, trouble. 

They had made enough noise coming in, it was hard to believe they had not been noticed. Dani shook off her exhaustion, grabbed her Equalizer, and joined Grace in the center of the group. Stacy was at her back like clockwork, clutching her shirt. Dani reached behind her and squeezed the girl’s arm, letting her know she was safe and welcome there. Dani felt like a heel for ever leaving her behind. The kid just wanted to feel safe. Stacy leaned in and pressed her forehead to Dani’s back, listening to the adults talk about plans. 

Grace had to admit that she was getting a little jealous, probably irrationally, at Stacy’s closeness to her partner. She kept watch on their surroundings, looking for signs of people. “Dani, I think we should get out of town. I don’t have a good feeling about this. Someone should have seen us by now, raised an alarm, killed us all. Something.” 

“I think you’re right, amor. It’s too quiet. Like Glenwood Springs.” Dani admitted. She looked to Ruiz who was nodding in agreement. 

“That hill over there?” Grace pointed to a spot just above town. “Let’s maybe camp there, if we can get the vehicles that far. Dane, you’re on fuel. Ruiz? Set up a watch. Let’s get moving. It’ll be dark soon.” 

Grace and Dani headed up the hill in the truck. The spot proved to be advantageous to them, since it overlooked the town and provided the Rangers with good tree cover. They’d be hard to spot from the air or ground. 

Dane came roaring up on his motorcycle while the Rangers were setting up tents. Grace watched his back as he came up the road, looking for signs that he was being followed. There was just nothing out there. There was no one. Jackson was a ghost town. 

“No fuel, L-T.” Dane told Grace, parking his bike by the truck. 

“Shit.” She muttered. 

“And three’s a dozen.” Dane added. 

“What?” 

“I don’t know, it’s something my dad used to say whenever someone said ‘shit’.” Dane shook his head and chuckled at the memory. Grace ruffled the kid’s greasy hair and walked him back to camp. 

The Rangers wasted no time getting tents set up. Ruiz had inquired about fires tonight. Dani did not think it was safe. Grace agreed, admitting that the darkness was necessary with Legion and Highgate so close together. A fire right now might be the catalyst to something none of them were prepared for. Grace suggested just using flashlights at dinner and sleep soon after. One of the kids offered a tent to Grace and Dani, instead of them sleeping in the truck again. Grace took him up on it and began to set it up in the coming dark. She was quick and methodical, making sure everything was staked down properly. The sky was clear, and stars began to form as the light faded. There was only a slight breeze blowing through the trees. 

That’s when Dani noticed the lights coming up below in the town. “Grace, I thought we were alone here.” 

Grace stepped beside her, looking at the lights growing brighter the darker it got. “They’re solar. Probably pre-war. Some of that stuff still works. A lot of towns used solar street lights to save on electricity. We’ll stay alert though. Don’t worry, Dani.” Grace rubbed Dani’s back gently, noticing Stacy was not there. She looked behind them, and Stacy was with Ruiz and Dane, eating something from an MRE bag. The pink packaging looked like maybe Skittles or Starburst. 

“Harper, you’re on first watch,” Ruiz announced. “Get ready after chow.” Grace nodded and walked to where a group of kids were making cold oats and granola for dinner. They offered her a tin cup full of either. It didn’t matter to Grace because it all tasted the same. Someone stuck a thick piece of jerky in her hand while she was standing there. She slipped it into her pocket for later. 

Dani made her way to their shared tent, finding a clean set of bedrolls and blankets. Grace was right behind her, stuffing oats into her mouth as she went. She stopped half way through her meal, handing Dani the cup for herself. She reached into her pocket and ripped the jerky in half, giving that to Dani also. “These kids, Grace. They literally give us the shirts off their backs.” 

“They’re kind. Good kids. From good people.” Grace had no other way to explain it. She was eager to get onto the watch for the next couple of hours. She handed Dani her flashlight so she could get settled in for the night. 

“Grace...” Dani bent over and set the cup on the floor of the tent. She stood and moved in close to the blonde. Dani slid her hands up Grace’s sides, tucking her fingers underneath the bullet proof vest. “Where are you?” Brown eyes stared into blue, and Grace thought she might just come apart right then. She swallowed hard, trying to force back any emotions, knowing they’d be deadly right now. 

“I’m ok, Dani.” 

“Are you? You’re just... gone right now... I don’t know where you are. It scares me.” Dani worried for her, especially without medication or support. Grace closed off like this sometimes, and Dani did her best to bring her back around. 

Grace bent to kiss her partner, and that was all she could offer her right then. Dani cupped the blonde’s face, deepening the kiss. Grace felt Dani’s tongue probing her lips, so she succumbed to the commander’s desire. She opened her mouth and let her tongue dance with Dani’s, warm and wet. Dani was telling her that she was home, no matter where they were. Grace wrapped two strong arms around her lover, holding her as close as armor allowed. “Rest, Dani. I’ll be back soon.” 

Grace pulled her hat back up on her head, tucked up her hair, and left for her guard rotation.


	12. The Wordless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “If there's anything left you will need it now  
> So reach deep inside yourself  
> And show them all how  
> You can survive  
> And you knew it wasn't gonna be easy  
> So ease your mind  
> And take a long drive to unwind.” 
> 
> -Melissa Ferrick

The night was getting cold fast. Grace pulled her field jacket around her and zipped it up to the top. She braced herself against the chill, expecting to shiver for the next two hours, alone in the dark. She was finally able to take a deep breath, away from prying eyes. She knew Dani meant well, and only wanted to keep her safe from the nightmares. However, Grace could not be consoled right now. She missed Vanda and Henry in times like these. They understood the hard exterior she needed to put up. They also knew the pain below it. Grace couldn’t bring herself to break down like that for Dani. Not all the way, at least. She was Dani’s protector. She was in charge of the 2 Ranger groups for all intents and purposes. She had to be strong. 

But the guilt and shame and pain clawed at her insides like Rev spears. And there was that dream. Seeing over and over what she had done to Dani. She knew it was a dream, but the images crushed her. Her subconscious mind was playing a fucked up game with her. Grace wanted to cry and wail and get this all out. She wished Vanda were there to watch over her. 

Grace took a position overlooking the town, watching the solar lights blink on and off as the wiring shorted out. She wished she lived in a town like that. It was small and protected. That was something Grace remembered being herself, so long ago that it felt like she might have been just making it up. Grace was jealous of Stacy for being small and protected by Dani. That’s because Dani COULD protect the kid. She was barely old enough to experience the hardships and terrors of life in the apocalypse. She’d never had to run for her life for months or years. Stacy had always had a roof, a family, food, and relative safety. Her life now was the worst it had ever been, and she was able to cling to Dani for support. 

Grace, on the other hand, knew her demons were stronger than anything Dani could protect her against. She felt like she was out there on her own again, running from terminators and skinners. She felt so fucking alone again. Grace sat in the grass, crossed her legs in front of her, and pulled out the Glock. She checked the clip to see how much ammunition she had left. She slapped it back into place, cradling the pistol in her hands. She wondered if she could do it this time. She’d shamed herself in front of Dani in a way that she never thought she’d be able to recover from. Some fucking protector, Grace told herself. Grace believed, right then, finally, that she had reached the last straw. 

One moment of bravery, Harper. She always told herself that in these quiet moments. Grace really wished she had a drink. Whisky would be nice to numb the fear and pain she always felt right now. If she could just get herself good and drunk first, she knew she’d be brave enough. She was such a fucking coward. She didn’t have it in her. She could never pull that trigger. But she would try again. 

Quietly, Grace pulled the slide back on the pistol, chambering a single round. She stared at the gun in her hands for a long time, trying to remember a time when she didn’t feel so low. She wondered if she would ever feel good again. She thought about the world as it was, the brutal reality of her situation, and honestly asked herself if living through it was worth the price of her soul. 

She raised the pistol up, holding it backwards in her hand. She longed to breathe gun smoke. Grace did not look down the barrel this time. She just loaded the cold metal into her mouth, clamped her teeth down and prayed for the strength to follow through this time. Tears began to blind her, falling down her cheeks in a steady stream. She couldn’t stop now. She flicked her tongue out to taste oil and metal. Grace sobbed, her weeping unmitigated until it became a howl she could not control. She bit down on the barrel and put her thumb on the trigger. She pulled the hammer back, and heard a loud gasp behind her. Grace dropped the pistol down, holding it between her legs, suddenly aware of someone standing close. 

Dani took three steps forward and knelt in the grass beside her. She was visibly shaken by what she had seen. Grace tore at her hair, ashamed and hurt and frightened. She couldn’t go on like this. Her cry was a deep and lonesome wail, pulled out from the deepest recesses of her fractured self. Dani’s hand on her shoulder was no consolation. Grace wanted to hurt herself. She wanted to go away completely. She held the gun up in her hand and beat it against the side of her head over and over again. 

Dani was way out of her depth. She had never seen anything like this in anyone before. Grace was begging to be set free from something truly awful. It shattered Dani’s heart into a million pieces. She reached out, not wanting Grace to pull the trigger and kill herself or Dani either. She slid her hand up along Grace’s head, creating a barrier between the pistol and Grace’s skull. “Stop, Grace. It’s ok. Stop.” Grace pounded the barrel of the pistol into Dani’s hand twice more before realizing what she was doing. She brought it around to her forehead and just leaned her head against it, cradling herself in her hands. Her nose was running, she was salivating. Her mouth was gaping open as she cried so loud. Dani needed to get the gun away from her gently. She slowly moved around to face Grace, on her knees. “Please, Grace. Let me have it.” She whispered. Slowly, she slipped her fingers along Grace’s elbow, up her forearm, cradling her wrist. “Let me, please.” Dani was begging for Grace’s life. By mere centimeters at a time, she slid her hand up over Grace’s, gently holding her. “Por favor, amante, damelo.” Dani didn’t know if Grace understood her, but she was well aware of the disarming effect Spanish had on her. Her words were just private whispers for her partner. Dani’s heart was throbbing in her chest. She bit back her own tears, determined to be Grace’s rock. She’d never been so afraid of losing someone in her life. She felt Grace’s grip loosen, and Dani acted quickly, and tenderly, taking the pistol away. She eased the hammer forward, put the safety on and slid it back and away in the grass. She didn’t care if she ever saw it again. 

“Thank you, Grace.” Dani took Grace’s hands in hers and pulled the blonde’s arms around her back. “Hold on to me, amor.” Dani felt Grace open up from her crossed leg position, and Dani didn’t need any direction. She shifted closer, holding Grace’s head in her hands, pulling her face down to her shoulder. Grace’s entire body erupted and quaked. “Libera tu dolor, amante.” Dani shifted between Grace’s legs, sitting in the space between them. She wrapped her legs around Grace, and pulled the blonde’s around her. “You are not alone, my love. I’m here. I will always be here. I am your friend. I am your family. I am your home, Grace Harper.” She felt the blond warrior lean in hard and nod against her shoulder. She pulled Grace tightly to her. “I love you with everything I am, Grace. Everything in me is here for you. I will care for you and shelter you. Please....Grace... let me.” Dani sobbed against her partner, feeling Grace unleash the hell she kept locked away. “Give it all to me, Grace.” The blonde began to convulse, as she let go of all of her anguish, her agony, giving everything over to Dani. She held Grace, whispering and rubbing her back, welcoming everything that Grace had inside her. Dani did not shush her or try to end the moment. She was there for the long haul until Grace ran empty, no matter how long that took. Grace needed a catharsis, a physical purge. Dani would never halt that in the middle of it. 

They rested together long after Grace stopped shaking. Dani never let her go, and Grace didn’t want to go. For the first time in forever, she felt safe and loved and cared for. Of course, Dani did all those things anyway, but Grace had just handed her the key to her inner sanctum. Dani did not balk. Or run. She stayed, like she promised. Even through all the therapy with Dr. Montoya, Grace had never felt more accepted and attuned to another human being. 

From over Grace’s shoulder, Dani looked up to see a slight wisp of a girl leaning against a tree, wiping away quiet tears. How long Stacy had been there, Dani did not know. She was thankful that Stacy had not approached them. This was an incredibly delicate moment for both she and Grace. The slightest interruption would have sent Grace into a retreat. Stacy wore her brother’s coat which was too long in the arms and hung down around her thighs. She had a rifle slung over her shoulder. She did not want to say anything, but it was her turn at watch. Dani nodded to her, and softly peeled herself back from Grace. “Let’s go to bed.” She moved to stand, feeling tension in her back and legs from sitting for too long on the hard ground. She helped Grace to stand. 

“Who’s up?” Grace asked, concerned about her watch ending, even though she didn’t actually watch anything tonight. 

“Stacy is here, amor. Let’s go.” Dani held her hand and led her back to camp. Stacy Lewis took their spot, kicking the pistol in the grass along the way. She reached down and put it in her jacket pocket, quite aware at what had gone down. She’d watched the whole thing when she heard Grace cry. 

At their tent, Dani unzipped the door and pressed Grace to get inside. She followed the ranger and zipped up behind them. Grace slumped down on a bedroll, and allowed Dani to remove her boots. The commander set them by the door of the tent, returning her full attention to the wounded woman before her. At this point, Dani would usually ask Grace what she needed, letting her lead a little. This time, Grace could not lead. Dani would not let her. She positioned herself behind Grace, carefully removing her jacket, then her armor. Grace’s hat had slipped off her head at some point, dangling over her back from the ties around her neck. Dani pulled it over her head, discarding it somewhere in the darkness. Once she had Grace just down to her tank top and pants, Dani helped her into bed. She knelt there, removing her own outer clothes and armor, silently watching Grace. 

“Did you mean what you said? About being my home?” Grace’s voice was a broken whisper, and Dani wasn’t sure what she said for a second. 

Dani laid down beside her, pulling fresh blankets up over the both of them. “Grace, wherever I am, you will be home. You never have to ask that again. You never have to worry again. No matter what.” 

Grace fought off a second round of tears, deeply touched by her partner’s declaration. More than that, Grace finally felt like she belonged fully somewhere, with someone. And she believed it. 

“Roll on your side, amor.” Dani pushed Grace gently to face away from her. She scooted herself up close behind the blonde, slipping an arm under her head and the other under her tank top, resting on her belly. She felt Grace shiver at the skin contact. “Do you want more, Grace?” 

Grace was still, afraid of her own answer. All the questions in her mind shut down her ability to be honest. Her insecurity was strong. “Grace? Don’t be afraid.” Grace breathed hard. 

“Yes.” She finally managed. 

Dani pressed her lips against a patch of shoulder not covered by the tank top. She kissed the spot again and again, softly rubbing the tip of her nose against Grace’s skin. Dani loved her scent. It was as if Grace emitted a smell tailor made for Dani that piqued her arousal every time. The musk of her skin, the oil, her sweat, all of it combined into an aroma that Dani could not ever resist. Even in such an emotionally traumatic time. Dani believed that the cure for whatever they were going through together was ultimately their expression of physical love for each other. Grace, the wordless, understood this method best. Dani was learning how silence could speak so loud. 

She rubbed her fingertips over and back on Grace’s abs, careful to avoid the ticklish spot. She had earned Grace’s trust on the deepest level. She wouldn’t jeopardize that now. Dani raised her head and pressed her cheek over Grace’s, kissing the curve of the blonde’s mouth. She worked her way back across her jaw, over the raised bit of scar, dragging the tip of her tongue over it slowly. “I want you to lay still. Let me do this for you. I want you to release for me. Okay?” Dani whispered into Grace’s ear. She felt the blonde nod slightly, breathing heavier in anticipation. 

There was a bit of a height difference between them, but Dani knew she would be able to do this. She reached down and pulled Grace’s shirt up, just enough that Grace would get the idea and take it all the way off. While she did, Dani removed her own shirt, resuming their position. She felt her nipples harden as soon as they touched the naked skin of Grace’s back. She breathed out hard in Grace’s ear. “You feel so good next to me. I can’t get enough of you.” Dani placed her palm over one of Grace’s soft breasts, gripping it just hard enough to establish her presence. Grace moaned quietly, and reached one arm out behind her to wrap around Dani’s back. Dani kissed her cheek, desperately wanting Grace’s hot mouth on hers. She reached up with her arm that was under Grace’s head, pressed her hand against the blonde’s forehead, and pulled her back against her shoulder. This way, Dani could look into her eyes if Grace turned her head slightly. She did, and that’s when Dani leaned down to kiss her. “I love you, Grace.” Their lips were like fire together, flames of flesh licking one another, burning them both to their cores. Dani’s hand left Grace’s breast, finding the other. She ran gentle fingertips underneath, tickling the sensitive skin there before reaching up to find a stiff nipple, rolling it back and forth. She wanted Grace to feel so much pleasure under her touch. “I want to touch you, hold you, stroke you.” Dani ran her fingers across Grace’s relaxed belly, finding the button of her trousers. With one expert hand, Dani undid them, button by button, slowly, until she had them open. She moved her palm over Grace’s boxers, feeling the hardening member come to life. She slipped her hand down inside, under the waistband, and pulled Grace free. Even in the dark, Dani could tell how big she was. “Relax, my love. And release whenever you are ready. I’m going to be slow and gentle. I want you to feel every single motion.” Dani began to stroke Grace’s hard shaft, from base to head, stopping every stroke to rub her fingers or her thumb across the sensitive tip. Dani began to ache and throb, wanting Grace inside of her. But it wasn’t about her. She knew Grace would give her more when the time was right. She pumped Grace’s cock in slow, steady moves, using just a couple of fingers, or palming her. She switched it up every few strokes, wanting to give Grace an immense amount of satisfaction. Grace began to leak fluid, which Dani took advantage of. She used it to lubricate her path, rubbing dangerously slow. She kissed Grace again, not hard, not deep. Dani was just letting her know she was there. Grace gasped and moaned every time Dani rubbed the head of her cock, so Dani would linger there, massaging and stroking, bringing Grace closer and closer to the edge. Usually, Dani would start rubbing her harder, whispering for her to come, but not now. She wanted Grace to find her own way in Dani’s grasp, even if it took all night. Dani continued her dance, kissing Grace while she rubbed the head of her shaft, then back down and slowly up. She set a pattern and rhythm which Grace fell into until Dani felt her start to let go. Grace’s seed began to spill from her, and her cock began to hammer out her orgasm. Dani stroked her through to the final beat, until every last drop was exacted from her lover’s body. Grace let all the pleasure and love roll up and crash into her, carrying her away. And when she came back to earth, Dani was still there, holding her. They laid together in the silent aftermath. Dani kissed her again and again, cradling her softening length until Grace was spent. Dani graciously covered her back up, letting her relax and come down. Dani laid behind her, pressed flush against her back. 

She could feel Grace not knowing what to do next. The blonde warrior tried to turn over to face her, but Dani stopped her. “Let me hold you tonight, Grace. Sleep now.” Grace submitted to her partner, who did not let her fall or falter. Grace felt safe and loved and protected by the Commander of the Resistance.


	13. Crush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Silence is the steel that pierces and cuts me to the bone  
> In dreams the hand that touches you is mine and mine alone  
> Cruel is the light is the morning shining down on me  
> Hours with the Devil to understand just what you need  
> So I wake in the street and I call out your name  
> Shout to the sky come on  
> Come on let it rain."
> 
> -Melissa Etheridge

Grace woke up, early as usual, still wrapped up with Dani. She closed her eyes again for a few minutes, not wanting to rush herself getting up. She could hear the rain beating on the canvas roof. The area on the hill that the Rangers chose to camp in provided ample tree cover, mostly to keep them out of sight. The surrounding trees also created somewhat of a barrier between the weather and the Rangers. Grace knew it was probably raining harder in town. The soft sound of raindrops on the tent was about enough to lull her back to sleep, which she desperately longed to do. She felt Dani’s arm around her, cradling Grace’s belly with warm fingers. Grace placed her arm over Dani’s, running her own fingertips back and forth over the brunette’s. She felt the woman behind her stir, shift, and press herself more firmly into Grace’s back. The Ranger smiled, enjoying the relaxed feeling of lying there with her beautiful lover, before the sun was fully up. Grace slowly rolled over onto her back, allowing Dani to relax down onto her chest. This was Grace’s favorite position to lay in with Dani. She loved Dani’s head on her chest, her soft brown hair spilling over Grace’s side. She loved feeling a warm leg draped across hers. As soon as Grace moved onto her back, Dani assumed the position naturally. Grace wondered if Dani was awake, though she didn’t want to disturb her if she was still sleeping. 

There were no sounds coming from within the camp quite yet. It was too wet for a fire. Grace wondered if the Rangers had to move at all today. She was feeling the effects of being constantly on the road, on the run. So far, they had encountered no problems here in Jackson, WY. There was plenty of town to explore if the Rangers felt like it. Grace certainly wouldn’t mind one easy day. 

Grace felt careful, gentle fingertips moving one at a time over her ribs. She counted them, feeling the index finger, middle finger, followed by the ring finger, and a pinky. And the pattern started all over again, and again. The tickling sensation was absolutely delightful in its own way. Grace hummed contently. Dani stretched out, softly groaning, pressing her body all along the length of Grace’s as she arched her back into the stretch. Grace lifted the arm she had around Dani, allowing her partner freedom of motion until she curled back into the blonde’s side. “Good morning,” Dani whispered. Grace hummed again, lower, deeper. Grace lifted her head to meet Dani’s eyes. Grace tasted the inside of her mouth suddenly, not happy with how her breath must smell. Of course, Dani leaned in to start kissing her across her neck and throat, working her way up Grace’s jaw, over her chin. Grace quickly turned her head away from Dani, afraid to embarrass herself further. 

“Grace, kiss me.” 

“Uh-uh.” Grace laughed, grinning like a fool. Dani propped herself up on her elbow, reached for Grace’s cheek, trying to turn the blonde to face her. 

“Why not?” Dani’s tone was sultry and seductive in Grace’s ears. She loved that sound, almost commanding and accusatory at the same time. 

“Because I’ve got horrid morning breath.” Grace said this out of the furthest corner of her mouth, trying desperately not to breathe on Dani. 

“Since when have I cared about that?” 

“Well, the thing is, I’ve only just noticed it. I’m sorry for every other morning you’ve had to endure me kissing you without taking care of it.” Grace felt a rush of heat roll off of Dani, and it made her entire body respond. Her heartbeat quickened, her skin prickled, and she tried really hard to keep her morning hard-on behind the gate. Dani became more insistent to get a morning kiss, and it evolved into a game. In one, quick movement, Dani was straddling Grace’s belly, apparently not wanting to sit right on her pelvis. Plus, the height difference put her face right over Grace’s. 

“I never cared before. I don’t care now, Lieutenant. I want a kiss. I’m not giving up till I get one.” Dani smiled down at Grace, brown eyes on fire. Dani’s smile was contagious. Grace couldn’t help herself but to smile back. Dani leaned in, believing she’d get what she wanted, but Grace turned her head at the last second. 

“Nope.” The blonde laughed. 

Dani reconsidered her plan of attack. She was now determined to get what she wanted. She sat up on her knees, barely touching Grace’s midsection, gazing down on the blonde lovingly. “Grace.” Her voice was soft and inviting. She leaned over slowly, allowing her naked breasts to graze Grace’s own. Grace’s cock throbbed at the feeling of Dani’s nipples caressing hers. Grace was about two seconds away from giving Dani whatever she wanted. Dani leaned in closer, licking her lips. “Grace, please?” Fuck, Grace thought. Dani was an expert seductress. Grace let Dani get even closer, to where their lips were nearly touching before jerking her head to the side again at the last minute. 

“Nope.” Grace laughed harder, feeling her belly convulse, filling the space between Dani’s legs. 

“You’re awful. You think I can’t get you to kiss me, Grace?” Dani sat back up. Grace looked up at her, smiling, loving her partner deeply. Grace raised her hands up to take Dani’s before she started pouting. 

“You deserve nothing but the best, Commander. That includes fresher breath than I’ve got right now.” Grace squeezed Dani’s hands. 

“Mmmm. If you say so.” Dani bit her bottom lip, carefully plotting her counter offer against Grace’s refusal. She leaned to her side, as if she were going to move away from Grace and give up. The blonde made a whining noise, not wanting her to go. Dani simply shifted her hips to a lower position, hovering right above Grace’s hard cock. She raised an eyebrow at the Ranger, “If you still don’t want to kiss me, I can find another way to persuade you, amor.” Grace breathed out hard, feeling herself throb at the threat. 

“Baby, please.” Grace whispered. 

Please, what?” Dani asked, slowly lowering herself against Grace’s hips. She could feel every bit of Grace through two pairs of pants. It took everything Dani had not to throw herself completely at the blonde warrior. Grace was really warm too; and every contour of the stiff shaft pressed perfectly against Dani, making her throb hard. She could feel herself growing wet and hot for Grace. Dani closed her eyes, trying to control herself from grinding. She just wanted Grace to give in. 

“Oh God,” Grace whispered, feeling Dani’s core touching every part of her through her pants. It was like the brunette’s body just melted and formed around her. Dani was so soft, even through their clothes. It made Grace even harder. Grace wanted to bury herself deep inside the Commander, but flat out refused until she was able to clean up. The last 24 hours had been difficult on Grace’s body. Dani was not making this easy for her. “Ok. Ok. You win, Dani.” Grace was breathing heavier, and Dani knew she was the blonde’s kryptonite. 

Dani’s eyes were half closed, as she began to fall victim to her own desire for Grace. She leaned forward and shifted off of Grace’s pelvis. The parting was a whole new sensation for Dani. It was almost as if part of her own body had been pulled away from her when she moved. The heat was gone. Grace felt it too, groaning like she was in agony. Dani planted both hands on the sides of Grace’s face, lowering herself slowly. “Let me kiss you, Grace.” 

Grace sucked both lips back into her mouth, over her teeth, licking them, before releasing and relaxing for Dani. “Come here, Daniella.” Grace slipped her hand behind Dani’s head and pulled her in, pressing her mouth gently against the brunette’s. Dani pressed her tongue against Grace’s lips, gently licking them apart. Grace moaned into the kiss, slave to the wiles of her clever partner. Grace would give Dani anything she wanted, and she did. 

“Harper! You up?” Ruiz sounded off right outside their tent. Dani broke the kiss, looked at Grace, rolled her eyes and sat up. Grace stifled a laugh. 

“Yeah, what’s up?” Dani slid off of Grace and laid beside her on her back. 

“Just wondering what the plan is. Kids are asking.” Grace turned her head to look at Dani. 

“We’ll be right out, Ruiz.” Commander Ramos answered. Ruiz did not have to respond. He simply turned around and walked away. 

As if working from the same playbook, Dani and Grace rolled on their sides, facing each other. “Was kissing me so bad?” Dani teased. 

“No, kissing you is always awesome. I feel bad for YOU though, having to put up my nasty mouth in the morning.” Grace explained, reaching up with gentle fingertips to touch Dani’s cheek. 

“You’d be really surprised by the things I enjoy about your body Grace. Your morning breath never bothered me. Even after the venison stew when there was enough garlic to choke a horse.” 

Grace’s body responded at once to Dani’s words. She let her eyes roll back in her head, and Dani picked up the body language, reaching down to rub Grace’s cock through her pants. Grace’s breathing turned suddenly to panting. “Dani, oh...” The sensation of her lover’s hand was almost too much, and Grace wanted nothing more than to come. Grace felt a finger pressing against her lips and Dani’s soothing voice shushing her. 

“Let’s take a day off, Grace. Maybe we can go for a walk into town and find somewhere more private?” 

“I love that idea. You’re in charge. Make it happen, Commander.” Grace pressed her hips hard into Dani’s hand, feeling a gentle squeeze in response. 

“Get dressed, amante.” Dani pulled away, and rolled onto her knees, searching for her clothes. 

The Rangers gathered for breakfast. Dane had the foresight to bring protein bars and jerky for everyone. Cold mush was abundant, but everyone was pretty sick of it. Stacy Lewis managed to get everyone’s attention for a quick prayer over breakfast. Grace was humbled by the girl’s mastery of food blessings, as Stacy was ever mindful to ask for eyes on the missing and fallen. After breakfast, Grace met with Ruiz privately to remember their fallen Rangers from Rock Springs. 

They stood together, hats off. “Corporal J.D. Schatz.” Grace began. 

“Private Ray Moore, Jr.” Ruiz continued. Grace reached out and put her hand on his shoulder. This was never easy, even if they didn’t know the soldiers personally. Losing comrades-in-arms was hard. 

“Private First Class Patty Ontiveros.” Ruiz finished. He added, “Godspeed, Rangers.” Grace straightened herself, put her hat on and shook off the tide of emotion sneaking in. 

“Have a nice day off, Ruiz. Rest. You’ve earned it.” Grace thanked him for his help and turned back to find Dani. 

“Wait. What? A day off?” He sounded as if this never happened. It really didn’t. Life in the apocalypse was taken day by day, need by need. 

“Yeah, Commander’s orders. See you at dark.” As Grace approached the center of the group, where Dani was swamped by young kids, she saw them looking over a brochure from the town below. There were stores and a library, stores that sold camping and outdoor gear, among many other things to go see. Of course, if no one was in the town, there’d be no electricity or running water. Dane pointed out a little known fact about Jackson, Wyoming: there was a not-so-hot spring just on the south side of town, within walking distance. It wasn’t hot, but it sure beat the cold river, he said. Grace didn’t need to hear any more than that. She stood a head above nearly everyone in camp. She caught Dani’s eye and motioned for them to take their leave of the kids. 

“Ok, everyone back before dark!” Dani barked. It was suddenly like letting a school bus full of children free at an amusement park. Kids scattered everywhere. The only difference was that these kids were silent as they went. They’d lived their entire lives being quiet. 

Grace and Dani walked down toward the not-so-warm spring. They crossed through the downtown area, trying to find somewhere to procure some soap and towels if they could. Any motel in town would have that stuff, if it had not already been looted in recent years. The town was eerily intact. Very few shop windows were broken out. There was a little motel on their way. Grace lifted a crowbar from a truck they passed, in order to break in if they had to. The motel had a supply room in the back, behind the office. Grace wedged the bar between the door and the wall, busted the lock and the door flew open. A completely decomposed human being fell out too. 

“Fuck that.” Grace turned up her nose and walked away. Dani lingered a moment, wondering who the person was and how they got in there. Whoever she was, she’d been there a long time. The tattered and torn uniform appeared to be that of a maid. There was a broken name tag on her shirt that read “Franc-,” Dani wondered if was Frances, or maybe Francesca. There was no way to tell, and dead men tell no tales. She hurried to catch up with Grace, who was now prying the door open to the front office. Grace raised her rifle, leading the way into the darkened room. There didn’t seem to be anyone, alive or dead, inside. Grace quickly grabbed the first set of room keys and backed Dani outside. 

The keys were for the second room next to the office. They got inside and Grace went for the bathroom. The room had not been touched in almost 15 years. There was dust on everything. A large black spot had formed in one corner of the ceiling where water damage was present. The roof probably leaked in every room here. Since seeing the body, Dani was sufficiently creeped out, and just wanted to leave. Grace emerged from the bathroom with a stack of white towels, hand towels, tiny bars of soap, and two little bottles of shampoo. It was quite a score, Grace thought. She handed the towels to Dani, and pocketed the toiletries. They tossed the room keys on the bed and left without even shutting the door. 

Across the street and about two blocks south was a little convenience store. There was a faded sign, red spray paint on a plywood board reading “NO GAS”. No shit, Grace thought. The storefront glass was all busted out, but Grace wasn’t looking for food or booze or money. She had one thing in mind, and it could probably still be there. She cruised through the store, looking over what was left. It wasn’t much. There was a swollen can of some kind of food on one shelf. Empty wrappers and packaging were everywhere. The coolers were stripped clean. Down in the household goods side, Grace spotted exactly what she needed. Hanging on a hook were a row of cheap plastic toothbrushes. There was one ancient looking tube of Crest. Grace highjacked both and put them in her pocket. Anything was better than nothing. She never said what she was after. Dani watched closely though, smiling big in her heart that Grace would want that, of all things. She knew it was something else Grace would do for her. Grace walked behind the counter and pulled out a plastic bag for the towels. In the corner of the convenience store was a rack of Jackson Hole t-shits and hoodies. Grace went over to see if there was anything in black that would fit her. She found a shirt and a sweatshirt. On the rack next to the clothes were a few pair of abandoned sunglasses. Grace turned the rack around and around, looking for a pair that might be as cool as Major Emery’s aviators. There weren’t any like that, but she did find a pair of dark ones that she liked. She tried them on, ducked her head to check herself in the little mirror provided, after wiping years of dust from it. She reminded herself of someone she once saw in a movie. They’d do. She stuffed them into her pocket, while Dani looked for a clean hoodie and shirt. Once they found everything they needed, Grace led Dani out by the hand. 

Outside of the store was an old Pepsi machine. Grace tried prying it open but had no luck. She rocked the machine back and forth until she toppled it. The gears and mechanisms within it clunked and ground together slightly. Grace heard a can roll forward. She looked to see a single can of orange soda waiting in the receiving tray. She bent to pick it up. The can felt pressurized, despite years of sitting. She’d heard how some cans of soda managed to make it by sheer dumb luck. This was Grace’s sheer dumb luck indeed. Dani approached, almost as excited as Grace was. She looked up at the blonde, who resembled a kid in a candy store. 

“Open it.” Dani whispered, her tone impatient. Grace cracked the top, and they heard that old familiar hiss followed by the pop of the top. Grace watched as bubbles and fizz danced out of the top. She put the can to her lips, letting the fizz tickle her nose. It smelled wonderful, and tasted even better. A moan tore from Grace’s body, as if she’d just reached a climax. “Give me some, amor!” Dani was reaching up to take the can from Grace’s mouth, as the blonde released it into her careful hands. Dani drank as if the gods themselves had descended upon them with life-giving nectar. It was the most exquisite thing in the world. Dani hadn’t had soda since before the war. Grace could not remember ever having it, though she was sure she must have. They stood there, silently, sharing the orange pop. “I bet you can’t do that again.” Dani laughed, feeling giddy from the sugar rush. 

Grace belched loudly. And then she laughed out loud. Dios, Dani thought, it was good to see her laugh. Grace kicked the machine twice with her heavy boot, and viola! Two more cans of orange soda rolled out onto the ground. The first one was soft, so they left it. The other one, however, seemed to be in perfect condition. Grace threw it in the bag with the towels. The rain was starting to pick up again, so they hurried down the road, in the direction of the not-so hot-springs. 

There were a couple of signs pointing the way, but it looked to be no more than a bend in a small river. Grace immediately shivered inside her coat. This was not going to be fun. The rain was coming down now, but it was now or never, and she was determined to get clean. There was a little rickety wooden walkway leading to the water’s edge. Grace could see steam rolling off the pool, where the creek water bypassed it. She bent down at the edge, sticking her fingers in. It was warm. Warm enough, she thought. She turned to Dani, looked behind them for Rangers who might be incoming. There was no one she could see. Grace began to strip down to absolutely nothing. Dani always liked watching Grace get naked, but there was no seduction or sexuality in this. Grace was simply excited for a warm bath. Dani followed Grace’s direction, peeling day’s old clothing off her tired and dirty body. 

The water wasn’t too bad, except they were being rained on. They shared the soap and shampoo, cleaning themselves in a hurry. Grace scrubbed herself hard, trying to wash away not only dirt, but bad memories of the last couple of days. She had taken the borrowed boxers into the water with her, in her hand, and washed them. She wrung them out and threw them back up on the bank. Dani did the same with her underclothes. They could dry them later, time permitting. 

Grace knelt at the bottom of the creek bed. The water came up to her chest. Dani stood in front of her and washed Grace’s hair. The whole time, Grace pressed her face in between Dani’s breasts, trailing soft kisses up and down her sternum. She held Dani’s hips, letting her hands roam over her lover. When Dani rinsed Grace’s hair clean, Grace wondered if maybe they could just make love right there in the water. She tried to pull Dani down against her, but the brunette stopped her. “This water isn’t good for sex. If it gets inside me, it could give me an infection.” Grace felt kind of dumb, but how was she to know. “Wait. We’ll find a place where no one will walk up on us. Trust me, love.” Dani bent and kissed Grace, long and sweet. Grace stood up, nearly a foot taller than the brunette. She worked the braid out of Dani’s hair so that the Commander could get it wet for her. Grace liked washing Dani’s hair for her. She was learning to be kind and gentle, and for some reason, the activity suited Grace. As she stood there, working a decent lather into Dani’s hair, Grace’s body grew cold. Not from the weather, but the sound of voices behind them. She turned, and saw several Rangers coming down the hill toward them. One of them was Stacy. Grace turned her back, covering Dani with her body. Over her shoulder, Grace yelled that the spring was occupied and to come back later. The Rangers took the order and fled the scene. Grace huffed at the feeling of suddenly being rushed, but she’d rather be out of there and somewhere more private. 

They dressed quickly and made their way back up the hill. Dani and Grace were both wearing the Jackson Hole memorabilia. Grace had on the borrowed fatigue pants and Dani still wore the ripped jeans. As they passed the Rangers and Stacy, Grace noted that Dane was not with them. She didn’t like the idea of the little girl being alone with three older boys, but they were all friends, and it was probably nothing to worry about. Dani led Grace up the hill, back toward the downtown area. Grace kept looking over her shoulder, but Stacy didn’t look back. There was no sign of urgent need. Grace was projecting her own fears onto a situation she knew nothing of. And that’s where she left it. 

There was a book store along the way. Dani wanted to find a magazine or a book to read. She liked reading. Grace found an ancient issue of Field and Stream, and a copy of Time Magazine Photos of the Year, 2019. Probably the last issue ever sold. The cover of the magazine had a little blonde-haired girl from Sweden on it. Greta Thunburg. She reminded Grace very much of Stacy. She decided to take the magazine back for the girl after she was done looking at it. 

Dani thought they had quite the haul, considering how blown out and looted most places were now. Jackson had been a veritable goldmine. At the edge of the intersection they came to, there was an old, western looking hotel. It looked clean, relatively unbothered, and just forgotten by time. Grace held her rifle up to her shoulder, and carefully approached the front door. It was unlocked. They proceeded inside, but there was no one there at all. No dead cleaning ladies, no animals, no skinners, no terminators. Dani looked at the map of the building behind the front desk, searching for a south-facing room. She found what she wanted, grabbed the key... the key... this was not an old-fashioned motel after all. The keys were magnetic strip cards. And the electricity was null and void. 

Grace said it didn’t matter, what were the odds that someone would find them there? Dani agreed and they went upstairs together. The room was dusty, a little musty, but otherwise it was ok. The windows were still intact. The sky was gray, but it wasn’t even 9 am yet. There was enough light to read by, and spend the day under. Grace shut the door and propped her rifle under the doorknob, securing it from falling open. Dani dropped the bag of towels and clothes, and began stripping off her outer layers. Neither of them had worn any armor today, which was probably not a good idea, but they took full advantage of having a day off. As Dani lifted the hoodie over her head, she felt strong arms around her from behind. Grace pressed herself against the brunette, wanting to be as close as possible to her. Dani pushed back against her, loving the feel of stripped-down Grace. Grace bent her head to kiss Dani’s neck, again and again, leaving a hot trail with her tongue up behind the Commander’s ear. Dani twisted in Grace’s arms, to face her. She tugged at Grace’s t-shirt, noticing how tightly it covered the blonde warrior’s torso. Dani could never get over how hot Grace was. Dani ran her hands up under the shirt to feel warm skin beneath her palms. “I want you.” Dani whispered. 

Grace led Dani to the bed, and told her to lay down. “I’ll be right back.” Grace left the room to go find extra blankets from the room next door. She popped the lock with the crow bar, stole the comforter and extra pillows and headed back in. After securing their door, Grace looked across at Dani, who was laying on her back in the middle of the bed, with her head hanging over the edge, watching for Grace. Grace stopped where she was and dropped the bedding. Something about the position made Grace a little crazy. She took her boots off by the door and quickly made her way over to the bed. She dropped to her knees in front of Dani, looking down at her. Grace reached down and cradled the back of Dani’s head in her hands, bent and kissed her. It was a new sensation, kissing Dani upside down. Dani’s lips felt like stranger’s lips this way, and it was a completely erotic moment for Grace. She leaned into the kiss, parting Dani’s lips with her tongue. And oh, how that changed everything. The top of Dani’s tongue rubbed over the top of Grace’s tongue. Dani dragged her tongue flat across Grace’s slowly, reaching the tip of it with her own. The moan coming from Grace was heavenly, and dirty. Grace had found a new favorite thing. She plunged her tongue deep into Dani’s mouth to do it all over again. Her cock grew hard quite fast. She needed more. 

Grace stood up and joined Dani on the bed, pulling her back down so her head wasn’t hanging over the edge. Grace pulled at Dani’s pants, trying to get them off quickly. “Slow down, Grace. We have time.” 

That was something rare: the gift of time. Grace kneeled up on the bed, and began slowly unbuttoning the brunette’s pants, trying to exercise what little control she had then. Dani loved looking at half-naked Grace, wanting to hold her and caress her, and kiss every inch of skin that her lips could find. She let Grace undress her, knowing the blonde warrior had a plan. Grace gently pulled the jeans down and off, along with Dani’s socks. She grew still, taking in the sight of the gorgeous brunette. Every angle and curve of Dani’s body sent a rush of heat and excitement through Grace. She could look at her all day. But Grace’ mouth watered. She wanted to taste Dani, all of her. Grace began unbuttoning her trousers, slowly, making sure Dani watched her do it. She could feel her cock begging to be set free. Grace undid the first two buttons. She was not wearing underwear. They were in the bag from earlier. She looked down at herself, seeing that if she undid one more button and opened her fly, Dani would see the swollen head and shaft of her cock. She wanted Dani to see it. She teased Dani a little, going very slow on that third button, taking an extra moment to lazily pull the fly open. Dani watched with dark, hungry eyes, as Grace slowly bared herself. Dani loved what she was doing, taking her time. Grace was so incredibly sexy when she went slow. 

Grace heard voices from the street below. She immediately jumped from the bed to peer out the window. Ruiz, Daniels, and two kids were walking down the middle of the road, excitedly talking. There did not seem to be any trouble. They were just discussing something. It sounded like they were talking about vehicles. Grace heard Dani move in the bed. She turned her attention back to find Dani sprawled out, legs wide open, facing her. “Wow.” Grace began breathing hard. The view of her lover was astounding. Dani’s center glistened with her wetness. Dani slipped her hand between her legs, gently rubbing herself. She used two fingers on her clit, spreading her folds open for Grace to see. The blonde felt herself beginning to throb and stiffen further at the sight. Grace knelt on the bed between Dani’s knees, pulling her hand away. “Let me.” Dani nodded and relaxed back into a pillow. Grace laid down, kissing skin everywhere she could before finally coming to the center of her lover. Dani reached both hands back down, spreading herself open for Grace. “Jesus, Dani.” Grace had never been more turned on in her life. She accepted Dani’s help and bent her head to softly kiss the swollen clit. Dani jerked suddenly at the sensation of Grace’s mouth. Grace began the gentle French kiss on her partner’s flesh, taking her time to map out every inch with her warm tongue. Dani began moaning and gasping for breath as Grace took swipe after dirty swipe over her aching clit. Dani removed her hands and reached out for Grace’s hands. The blonde held her steady, and drove her tongue deep inside Dani, wanting to taste every bit of her. Dani arched her back against Grace, grinding out her pleasure against that strong jaw. Every stroke of Grace’s tongue was amazing, and Dani felt herself suddenly coming. She bucked and shook, and Grace took her through every second of it, bending Dani’s body to the will of her tongue. Grace loved the way Dani’s walls clamped around the tip of her tongue, spurring Grace on to continue her movement inside of the brunette. When Dani finally came down, regaining her senses, Grace moved out from between her legs. She crept up, kissing Dani’s belly and breasts along the way. Dani took Grace’s face in her hands and kissed her deeply, tasting herself, loving her partner. 

“I want you inside me, Grace.” Dani commanded, reaching down between them to slip her hand inside Grace’s pants. Grace felt the warm hand wrap around her and closed her eyes, softly growling. She stood up off the side of the bed, and pulled off her pants. She walked over to the extra blanket and pillows in the middle of the room and brought them to Dani. Dani got under the blankets and let Grace drape the second one over her. She took the extra pillows and arranged them. Grace climbed into bed. As she moved to lay on top of Dani, the brunette slid right underneath her, meeting her halfway. Grace smiled at her, and kissed her again, long and deep. Grace positioned the head of her hard cock against Dani’s wet entrance and waited for the Commander to lead her. Dani wrapped her arms around Grace’s neck, pulling her down flat against her. Grace slowly slid inside of Dani as she laid down completely, consumed by hot, wet heat. She gasped at the sensation. Dani was so tight, as always, and she fit Grace like a glove. Grace began to throb almost painfully as she began to move inside Dani. 

“Yes, Grace. Just like that. You’re wonderful.” Dani moaned in Grace’s ear, biting her neck, clutching strong muscular shoulders, just hanging on. 

“Daniella, you are so right for me. You feel so good. I fit perfectly inside you.” As Grace said that, she slipped herself deep, holding Dani by the hips, letting the Commander feel just how perfect they were together. Dani felt absolutely full with Grace. There wasn’t a single space inside her unoccupied by her blonde lover. 

“Harder, Grace, please.” Dani needed more. Grace was happy to give it. She began taking longer, deeper strokes, using more force to fuck Dani. They were making love, certainly, but it always had an edge to it, especially when Dani wanted more intensity. Grace was very well versed in intensity. She started taking shorter strokes just then, gently hammering Dani’s hips. She switched to long, slow movements, determined to drive herself all the way in every time. Dani told her what to do with every moan, every thrust of her own hips. The blonde reached between them and found Dani’s clit, rubbing it softly. Dani felt herself coming again suddenly, but this time, Grace went with her. The two women cried out each other’s names as Grace collapsed on top of Dani. She gently pumped Dani over and over again, riding out the incoming waves of pleasure as she spilled herself deep within the brunette. Grace felt Dani’s wetness wash over her like a heatwave in the summer. Finally, they stopped moving and convulsing, stopped moaning and crying out. Soon they were still, just kissing and touching, whispering. Grace finally pulled out and rolled away onto her back. Dani immediately moved in beside her, and they held each other until they fell asleep. 

The rest of the afternoon was spent making love again. And again. Dani took time to hold Grace and read to her from the book she picked up earlier. Grace loved it when Dani read to her. They looked at the photographs in the magazine together. They drank the other soda without ever telling anyone else they had it. Grace told Dani jokes and made her laugh. It was a wonderful afternoon they were lucky to have. Grace felt like she had been given new life. Dani was grateful to just feel like a human being again, not rushed by machines and the fear of death constantly at the door.

Dani heard the rumble, thinking it was just thunder. Grace sat straight up in bed, recognizing the distant roar of ion drive engines. Scorpions.


	14. A City Below the Earth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Life can be easy  
> It's not always swell  
> Don't tell me truth hurts, little girl  
> 'Cause it hurts like hell  
> But down in the underground  
> You'll find someone true  
> Down in the underground  
> A land serene, a crystal moon."
> 
> -David Bowie

Two Scorpions landed just below where the Rangers had camped. The Scorpions looked modified from the versions that the Resistance had been using. These were sleek and had bigger guns mounted at the top. No soldiers disembarked the aircraft, save one. Grace noted that whoever it was tall and moved with purpose. She led Dani by the hand through town, hurrying as fast as she could. The engines had stopped completely, and there was no more sound, other than the ambient wind. 

Rangers began appearing from everywhere as Dani looked around and behind them. Everyone had heard the engines and were running back to camp. Dani watched the sky for signs of incoming Legion aircraft. The sky was getting very dark between the gray cloud cover and the setting sun. The rain was picking up too, and it was getting cold. Rain drops smacked Dani’s face, distorting her vision, forcing her to blink more often than was comfortable. She couldn’t see straight and had to rely on Grace to guide her. She was out of breath, having run almost 2 miles to get back to camp. Grace was a well-oiled machine, for lack of a better word. She was so fit and used to hard hikes and running. 

They made it to the bottom of the hill, and Grace let go of Dani’s hand as they began the climb beyond the modified Scorpions. Other Rangers were in front of and behind them, guns drawn. Dani’s own rifle was glued to her back, the sling digging into her chest, under one breast. She finally reached the top, right behind Grace, who waited no more than a few seconds for her to catch up. Grace reached out behind her, stopping Dani, silently telling her to wait behind her. The blonde proceeded forward, rifle at the ready. The other Rangers, kids too, watched Grace go. Dani followed, careful to leave enough space between herself and Grace, should there be gunfire. 

In the center of camp stood a lone figure. She was definitely tall, but not taller than Grace was. She had long, light brown hair, pulled back in a pony tail. She turned to face the group, revealing that she was actually quite beautiful. She had a long nose and sharp features. Her skin was covered in freckles. This woman looked to be in her early fifties. She wore a black Resistance uniform and red ouroboros arm band. She was wearing the typical Resistance armor, with one exception; she had no weapon that Dani could see. Her sunglasses were pushed up over the top of her head. She set her hands on her hips and smiled at Grace, then at Dani. 

“Commander Ramos?” She began. She had a thick southern accent, indicating that she might have been from Louisiana or maybe Texas. Dani couldn’t know exactly. She said ‘Ramos’ the same way Major Emery did. Dani took a step forward, but Grace slid in between her and the stranger. “Lieutenant Harper, I presume?” The woman addressed Grace directly. Dani watched Grace nod but remain unmoving, protective in her stance. “My name is Anne. Anne Morris. I am here to bring you all to Highgate.” 

Grace turned her head to look at Dani, wondering how to proceed. Dani shifted her position, almost taking a visual step back. “I don’t know you, Anne Morris. The last person to step off an aircraft wearing that uniform tried to kill me.” 

“Bierstadt. Yes, we are aware. We’re very sorry about that. He was one of our best.” 

“One of YOUR best?” Grace tensed, raising her rifle in response. 

“He was, yes, until a Rev-9 copied and killed him, Lieutenant.” Morris continued. 

How do you know all of this?” Dani demanded. “I’m not going anywhere with anyone until I have some answers.” 

Grace lowered her rifle, aware that Morris was probably not an immediate threat. The blonde remained vigilant, not allowing Dani to step between herself and the stranger. Anne Morris took a step forward, but was met with forty or more rifles being aimed in her direction. Grace shook her head, warning Morris not to take another step. 

“That’s quite the security detail you have there, Commander.” Morris raised her hands in the air, stepping back to relieve some tension. “We don’t have much time. The Resistance needs you at Highgate. The Resistance needs you to stop running. I will explain on the way.” 

Dani noticed the half-moon scars under the woman’s eyes. She had no other scars that Dani could definitively see, on her hands or down her neck. “Are you augmented?” Dani asked point blank. 

“Not quite. I can see very well though. Please, Commander, come with me. We have room for everyone. But we must go now. Legion won’t be far behind if we stay out here.” Morris held up a hand, catching rain as if she were an ordinary person standing in a city park. Instead she was an enigma, beckoning the Resistance Commander to come with her, without reason, to somewhere no one had ever seen. 

“I’m supposed to just act on faith that you won’t kill us all?” Dani antagonized Morris a bit. 

“Dani, we don’t have time for this.” Morris used her first name. Dani wondered if she maybe knew her from somewhere else, but she couldn’t place her at all. How did this woman know her and so much about what happened? 

Dani breathed hard, trying to make sense of things. She stepped forward, took Grace by the arm and turned her around. “Grace, I don’t know what to do.” She whispered; her voice hushed so absolutely no one else would hear her uncertainty. 

“What choice do we have right now? We’re out of fuel, and Legion is probably on the way here right now. If this woman is telling the truth.” 

“Commander?” Morris’s tone was becoming more insistent. 

“Okay.” Dani whispered to Grace. She met Morris’s augmented stare, noting how deep green her eyes were. “Our equipment?” 

“Leave it. You won’t need it.” Morris said, leaving Dani feeling even worse about her decision. 

“Rangers! Load up!” Dani commanded, following Grace and Anne Morris down the hill. 

Forty three soldiers loaded up onto the two transport vehicles. Dani strapped in next to Morris, with Grace right beside her. Grace held her rifle across her lap, finger right next to the trigger, in case things went south. Morris handed Dani a head set, putting a similar one on herself. She handed a third head set to Grace, aware that Grace was second in command here. The engines roared to life, and the vehicles lifted off into the air. They leaned hard, due north, and flew at breakneck speed. The noise was muffled by the head sets. Dani heard Grace’s voice come through mild static. “Dani can you hear me?” 

“Loud and clear, Grace. Morris?” 

“Commander, thank you for doing this. We need you badly. The northern outposts are not doing well right now. Jay Yellow Bear urged me to find you with your last known coordinates. Rock Springs was bait used by Legion to bring you in. They had your last known coordinates too. They grabbed your signal with your call to Yellow Bear from Rifle, Colorado. We were actually supposed to pick you up back there, but everything turned to shit.” 

“What is Highgate, Morris?” Dani asked. She reached beside her, absentmindedly finding Grace’s free hand. She felt light fingertips graze hers. 

“Highgate is a secret operation. We are raising an army to fight these motherfucking machines. We have technology to spare right now, but we have no plan of attack that’ll do any good. Legion is starting to take everything back since The Shove. Your fight was legendary, Commander, but we need to get you somewhere safe and stable.” 

“What kind of secret operation, Morris?” Grace’s voice was surprisingly loud through the head set. 

“The kind that you need to see to believe, Lieutenant.” Morris stared Grace down with brilliant green eyes. Dani suddenly had a bad feeling. 

“How long till we land?” Commander Ramos asked, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. 

“We’re ten minutes out. Welcome to Yellowstone National Park, Commander.” Morris made a sweeping movement out in front of her. Dani looked out to see the land below them, partially occluded by darkness. She could see camp fires dotting the landscape, and trees. 

“Is this all Highgate?” Dani asked, feeling dumb that she didn’t know anything about this. 

“Just wait, Commander. You’ll see.” Morris sat back, not offering any more information. Dani turned to Grace, hoping for some kind of reassurance. She could see that Grace was equally stumped. Whatever this was, a possible trap, it was going to be big. 

Dani watched Morris slip off her head set. She took her own off and Grace followed suit. The loud rumbling of Scorpion engines took over. Dani turned back to look at Grace, who was eyeballing Morris for any signs of foul play. Dani reached up and held Grace’s chin between her forefinger and thumb, directing the blonde to look at her instead. They shared a look that told them both, no matter what happened, they were together. 

Dani watched below them, as they flew right over a huge lake. From her vantage point, it looked like an ocean. The darkness was enfolding the landscape and soon, Dani couldn’t see anything else but the dim lights of the cockpit. 

The Scorpions slowed as they approached the dark silhouettes of buildings. This might have been a town at one point. Dani could not know for sure unless Morris was more forthcoming with the information. The aircraft zipped down over a road, continuing into the center of the town, Dani guessed. They slowed to a near standstill, hovering just above the ground. Anne Morris stepped off the edge of the aircraft, signaling for everyone to follow her. Boots began to hit the ground. Grace took her place between Dani and Morris and whatever trouble might be coming. Morris turned away from them and began walking down the street to the north. The two aircraft took off and disappeared to the west. Once the engines were out of ear shot, Dani spoke up and asked where they were going. Morris stopped, turned to her, and produced a small black device from her pocket. 

“We’re going down.” Morris smiled and pressed the button on the device. The ground began to shake below their feet. Kids grew scared, shouting and confused. Grace reached out and wrapped an arm around Dani’s waist, pulling her close. Morris just stood and smiled. The road behind her, already cracked and broken began to shift and move. The earth began to open up behind Morris, as a set of blast doors opened up. It was just like at Biggs Airfield in El Paso. Highgate was underground. 

The elevator held 20 bodies. Ruiz waited with the remaining soldiers for the elevator to come back up. Dani, Grace, Morris, and the Resistance 1st Rangers went below. The elevator whined and ground its gears as they moved deeper into the earth. Dani could only imagine what was waiting for them, if it had been anything like Fort Bliss. She felt the heat coming from the blonde warrior behind her. It was the only consolation against her current fear. At the bottom level, everyone stepped off. 

“With me, Commander.” Morris stepped forward, moving down the well-lit hallway away from the elevator. She stopped to meet another soldier in Resistance gear, ordering him to wait for the rest of the Rangers. They parted ways, and Morris continued down the long hall. 

“Morris, wait.” Dani barked. “What is going on?” She stopped dead in her tracks, not wanting to proceed without the rest of her team or new information. 

Morris stopped and turned, sighing deeply. She was obviously affected by Dani’s authority in this situation, probably mistaken for obstinance or stubbornness. “Food, Commander. Hot showers. Clean beds. Answers. My brother will make sure everyone else gets to you.” Her brother, the man heading down to meet the rest of the troops, Dani supposed, also named Morris. Dani Ramos could not deny the allure of hot showers, food, and clean beds and answers. 

Morris rounded the corner and disappeared momentarily. Dani and Grace caught up with her, to stand on a platform overlooking a small underground city. It was buzzing with life. There was warmth being generated from somewhere. Electric lights lit up the entire expansive... well, it was a cave, of sorts. Dani was in awe of the whole scene. A wide, paved path ran straight down the center of the room, disappearing into a darkened tunnel. What Dani could see in front of her looked like a command center on the far right. There were screens against the wall, lit up in different colors with maps and points in red and green. There were maybe 40 desks lined up in rows to watch the screens. People sat at computers, talking into headsets to invisible operators. Beyond that looked like offices. To the left, at the far wall was quite possibly a hospital or a lab. Maybe it was both. Dani could smell food. Behind the command center was an open area with mess hall style tables and benches. Behind it, looked like a large kitchen. Dani could hear the clamor from inside it. People were working to prepare food or clean up from it. At least a hundred people were moving back and forth through the whole area, all wearing Resistance black, boots, and red patches. There were several doors, side by side, lining the wall in front of the hospital/lab. Dani could barely read the signs. One was a chemist. One was a historical center. Laundry and cleaning supplies. Another was labeled PX. An old jeep engine revved and took a group of soldiers down into the darkened tunnel, out of sight. 

“What’s down there?” Grace pointed to the direction the jeep went. The whole place reminded her of the ruins in Mesa Verde. An entire city carved out of rock by humans with no better than stone tools. This was humanity’s legacy now. 

“Housing, combat training, and the plant.” Morris said it like it was common knowledge. 

“Generators?” Grace asked. She could not smell diesel fuel or gasoline. 

“Sort of. We run on geothermal energy from the park features. It provides all the heat and electricity we could ever need, Lieutenant.” Morris was pretty impressed with herself, Grace could tell, noting the smile on Morris’s face. 

Dani heard loud footsteps behind them. She turned to see Dane Lewis and Ruiz leading the rest of the team with Anne Morris’s brother. She turned back around to clutch Grace’s hand. Dani felt a small set of hands on the back of her shirt. She wrapped her free arm around her to quietly welcome Stacy. She felt the girl press herself against her back. There was something about it that told Dani something was wrong, but she didn’t have time yet to deal with the girl. Instead, she held Grace with one hand and Stacy with the other. 

“Who’s in charge here?” Dani asked, moving closer to Morris than Grace liked. 

From over her shoulder, Morris said, “You are, Commander Ramos. Welcome to Highgate.”


	15. Bruises of Kindness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Oh, poor me, she fell beneath the wheels to help me up.  
> Black Sea, I failed to be a light you found in love.  
> Oh poor me, she fell beneath the wheels to help me up.  
> Black Sea, the monster killed the melody you loved."
> 
> -Ben Howard

The jeeps took the Rangers down the long tunnel toward the barracks area. Instead of an open bay full of bunks, there were separate rooms. Each room housed four soldiers. The dormitory style housing was more comfortable than just sleeping in the open bays as before. Dane and Ruiz shared a room with Daniels and another soldier named Huck from Dane’s group. Huck was a fiery red-headed boy of 15. He was originally from Cheyenne, WY, but came to Rifle when his parents headed out for The Shove. He had lived with Dane and Stacy in the months that had passed since the Resistance offensive against Legion. Huck had been a great help to Dane in the time since then. 

The female Rangers were bunked together in two different rooms. Stacy was in a room with three other women from Grace’s team. They were all older, and Stacy didn’t share anything in common with them. Mostly, Stacy kept to herself. She hated being separated from Dane, Dani, and even Grace now. Stacy had felt close to Dani since their arrival at her home. Dani had become Stacy’s hero, and immediately a mother-figure to the girl. Stacy missed her mom and dad so much it made her cry almost every day. The way Dani let Stacy tag along and hide behind her was something that the girl needed right now. She’d plastered herself to her mother growing up, then with Dane when their parents left. Now, Dani had taken up that spot, and seemed more than happy to let the girl be there. Stacy had been privy to sensitive information when Dani talked. She’d never divulge the secrets. Stacy had learned how to be quiet and stay out of the way. That’s how she learned so much about things, and was never swatted away by the adults. 

Stacy had been there in the truck bed that morning when Grace freaked out. She had held the soldier’s left leg down with all her strength to keep Grace from hurting herself. Stacy had seen plenty of naked people in her life, but no one quite like Grace. She didn’t understand the biology that made Grace the way she was; but for some reason, whatever force created the Ranger, it seemed perfectly natural to Stacy. Then, in Jackson, she had watched Grace break down on guard duty. Stacy had only meant to go find a private place to pee, but she walked in the direction of sobbing. She didn’t mean to stare. She watched Grace put that gun in her mouth, and it broke her heart. She’d seen Dane do some crazy things to himself in the basement when their parents left. Stacy knew how weird people were. But for some reason, Grace’s pain affected Stacy deeply. She only wanted to be friends with Grace, so that maybe both of them wouldn’t feel so lonely all the time. She still had Grace’s pistol in her bag, and had every intention of returning it when Grace seemed better. 

Stacy took herself out of the dorm room to go find some dinner and hopefully Dani or Grace. Even Dane would be good company right now. Jackson had left her feeling empty and a little more than scared. 

Grace and Dani had been shown their room. The Commander’s room, actually. Grace was getting used to being second to the Commander in all respects. The room was sparsely decorated. There was a recliner that had seen better days, a full-size bed, a private shower, and a television sitting on an old cherry wood dresser. There was a small bedside table with two drawers, both empty, and a small lamp. It reminded Grace of their shared room back at Fort Bliss. A clock beside the tv kept the time, as much as anyone ever really knew what time it was. Grace sat down in the old recliner, trying to relax. The situation felt too good to be true. Grace had a lot of questions and no answers. That was what Anne Morris had promised: answers. 

Dani inspected the room. When she was satisfied, or just finished looking, she flopped down on the edge of the bed. She looked across the room at the silent Ranger in the chair. Grace let her eyes close as she rocked back and forth. She realized she was very hungry, and very tired. Morris had told them to relax for the night, get some food, and sleep. The days ahead would be busy, and Highgate needed the Commander of the Resistance to pull things together. Dani wasn’t sure what she was about to pull together, but she needed to start with herself. The weight of being in charge here was heavy, and she couldn’t figure out why right now. 

“Grace?” The word left her mouth before she even had a chance to think. 

“Hmm?” Grace responded without opening her eyes. 

“Are you hungry?” Dani watched the blonde nod her head. 

Dani bent forward, resting her elbows on her knees. She had been so tired for so many years. She was only 34 years old, but suddenly felt every year beating down on her. “I’m exhausted, Grace.” She whispered. 

Grace opened an eye to regard her partner, who did, indeed, look like she’d seen better days. “Come here.” Grace said. Dani felt like she was made of lead. She exhaled deeply, letting all the air out of her lungs. She finally pushed herself up and stood, taking the few steps toward the blonde. Grace held out her hand and pulled Dani down into her lap. She didn’t say anything right away. She simply pulled Dani into her arms, letting her partner rest against her. Grace rubbed Dani’s back slowly, tracing the outline of her bra with gentle fingertips. She moved her hand lower, finding the hem of the hoodie Dani had worn all day. Grace let her fingertips find bare skin, making slow circles at Dani’s lower back. Dani pressed her face into Grace’s neck, inhaling the scent she had come to love. There was a bruise on Grace's shoulder right where Dani's chin pressed into her. She tried not to feel it.f Grace did not need to ask what Dani was feeling. She knew how the importance of being humanity’s savior had taxed Dani to her very core. They sat like that together for a long, few moments. Dani closed her eyes and actually forgot where they were. The safety and comfort she felt with Grace always made her lose herself. In this moment, sitting this way, Dani believed they could be anywhere else in time. Anywhere but here. 

“Let’s go get some food, Grace.” Dani moved to stand, but felt Grace resist letting her go. 

“How about I just go get food and bring it back for you? Stay here. Rest. Let me take care of you.” 

Dani could not comprehend how she had been so lucky with Grace. She looked up to meet Grace’s soft blue eyes. The warrior’s look was intense, but was something entirely loving and gentle too. Dani felt the tears form in her eyes and couldn’t beat them back no matter how hard she tried. She felt Grace’s hand on her back, under her shirt, palming her skin as Grace flexed her muscles protectively. Dani relaxed into the hold. Even under the circumstances, the new base shrouded in mystery, and the intensity and horror of war; she was home with Grace. It was quite literally the best of a bad situation. 

Grace finally let Dani go, allowing the Commander to stand up. “I’m coming with you. Who would I be to hide as soon as I get here?” Dani announced, straightening her hoodie. 

“Someone who is exhausted and needs to be alone for a while?” Grace stood beside her, gripping her hand. 

“But those people out there don’t understand it like you do. To them, I’m not even a real person. I’m a cardboard cutout with no feelings. I have a job to do for them.” Dani argued, pulling away from Grace. She was trying to be as tough as she could manage. 

“And you can’t do your job if you’re strung out all the time, Dani.” Grace seemed to understand perfectly what Dani needed. Unfortunately, Dani Ramos was not about to give in right now. 

“Let’s go get dinner, amor.” 

The mess hall was populated by Rangers. Most of them looked like they hadn’t showered or slept in weeks. They all sat, hunched over trays, shoveling food into silent mouths. A single man stood at the serving line, beckoning Dani and Grace forward. He was short, a little fat, broad at the shoulders. His name tag read “Mike”. He looked young, but it was hard to tell. His black hair was peppered with gray. His face was pock marked with scars, maybe from acne or a childhood disease. He wore a black Resistance uniform with a black apron over top. His arms were well defined with large muscles, down to his – his left hand was quite normal, other than the missing fingertip of his middle finger. His right hand was a metal prosthetic. It looked suspiciously like Carl’s hand, once the Rev-9 had stripped the flesh from it on the plane. It was a machine hand. Dani stared, and her stomach turned. The place where flesh met metal looked perfectly fused. The truth of the matter was staggering. She suddenly believed she knew what Highgate was. Dani felt the room spin and was met with heavenly darkness and silence as she fell backward. 

Grace wasn’t quick enough to catch her from falling. She watched Dani go down, hitting her head on the concrete floor. Rangers jumped up from every direction near them to help. Grace immediately knelt by Dani, checking her pulse and breathing. She tried to bring Dani back around, gently shaking her shoulder. For the moment, it seemed that Dani was gone somewhere else. Grace looked up to face Dane Lewis. “Get help.” Her tone wasn’t commanding, so much as it was just urgent. Dane ran off in the direction of the hospital/lab to find a doctor. Grace stayed right beside the Commander, trying to softly coax her back to consciousness. Dani’s eyes fluttered open momentarily, not focusing on anything, even Grace. “That’s it, Dani. Come on back.” Grace stroked Dani’s cheek. Dani opened her eyes again, straining to gain visual sharpness. She could see Grace, but she looked like she was miles away. “Lay still, you hit your head.” Grace steadied Dani’s head with a firm hand. 

“They’re making augments here.” Dani whispered. 

“I know. It’s ok. Help is coming, just relax.” Grace whispered back. The Rangers surrounding them formed a hard line, protective and concerned about the Commander. A man that Grace assumed was a doctor pushed his way through the soldiers. He dropped to his knees beside Dani, taking stock of the fallen woman. After a few moments of checking her eyes, her pulse, her breathing, and allowing Dani to wake up fully, the man and Grace helped her to stand up slowly. She assured them both she was fine. The man ran his hand over the back of Dani’s head, and told her there was a goose egg where she had landed. He wanted to take her to the hospital to make sure she didn’t have a concussion. Dani reached back and touched the swollen spot. 

“It’s fine. I’m okay. Really.” That was the Commander’s voice Grace was hearing. From their earlier conversation, Grace understood that Dani wasn’t about to appear weak here. She wasn’t about to question Dani in front of people either. 

“You heard her, she’s fine.” Grace stepped up beside Dani in full support. The man who might have been a doctor did not argue. He nodded and said if she needed to come by later, it would be okay. Grace walked Dani over to an empty table and told her to sit. “I’ll bring you something.” Grace walked back over to where Mike had been. The man came back, wearing a black glove over his prosthetic hand. Grace thought, accusingly, he could have done that in the first place. However, Mike was probably one of many people here with mechanical limbs or enhancements of some kind, if Dani was correct. Mike filled two trays with food that looked like it came directly out of toxic waste dump. Even though it smelled good, it was not visually appealing. “What is this?” 

“Protein, nutrients, vitamins, everything a body needs.” Mike said as if he’d answered that question a hundred times. Grace didn’t respond. She took the trays to a cooler, grabbed a couple bottles of water, and headed back. Just then, Grace felt hands on the back of her shirt. She stopped suddenly, hands full, and tried to turn. She looked down behind her to see Stacy Lewis, hanging on to her. Ok, Grace thought, this is our new normal. “Come on, kid.” Grace mumbled, heading back Dani. 

The doctor, or whoever he was, reappeared a few minutes later with an ice pack, wrapped in a white towel. He offered it to Dani, along with a little paper cup with two pills in it. “What are these?” Dani asked. Medications in the apocalypse had become difficult to trust. She certainly wasn’t trusting anything at Highgate until she had more answers from Anne Morris. 

“Acetaminophen. It’s a mild pain reliever.” 

“Tylenol. All our technology, and we’re still handing out Tylenol?” Dani asked, her tone a little snottier than she meant it to be. 

“Ma’am, if it works... I’m Nick. I work in the lab. I’m a chemist. It’s nice to meet you, Commander.” He nodded at Dani, turned to Grace and acknowledged her as well. “Lieutenant Harper.” He was maybe in his mid-thirties, dirty blonde hair, an equally dirty mustache that looked like it never fully grew in. He had green eyes, much the same shade as Anne Morris’s augmented eyes, but he had no scars beneath his. Grace set their trays down, pulled Stacy out from her hiding spot behind her back, and directed her to sit with them. 

“Have you eaten, kid?” Grace asked. Stacy shook her head. Grace slid her tray over in front of the young girl. “Eat.” It wasn’t a suggestion from the Ranger. Stacy and Dani both spooned something slightly pink and a little runny, both sniffing it at the same time. Grace watched Dani with great interest, wondering if she was brave enough to eat it. Dani flicked her tongue out, barely touching whatever the substance was. Suddenly, the spoon was in Dani’s mouth, and she was going after more. 

“What is it?” Grace asked. Stacy was tucked in also, shoving it in hand-over-fist. 

With her mouth full, Dani answered, “I don’t know, but It's really good. Here, eat some.” 

Grace took the fork off of Dani’s tray and began to try something green that resembled an algae loaf. It really was pretty good, she realized. It had the consistency of mushy oats, but the flavor was outstanding. It tasted like garlic and salt and some sort of vegetable like broccoli. Grace wasn’t sure she remembered what broccoli tasted like, but if she did, this would be close. Grace looked over at Stacy, who was eating as fast as she could chew and swallow. It was a weird new meal in an even weirder new home. 

After dinner, Grace and Dani decided to retreat back to their room for a much deserved shower and some even more deserved sleep. When they reached their room, Stacy stood behind them, looking a little sheepish. Grace turned to her and told her to go get a shower and some rest. Stacy paused, clearly not ready to run off just yet. “What is it, kid?” Grace sounded a little impatient, she realized, but she was just worn out. 

“Can I talk to you... Grace?” Stacy’s voice was suddenly lower when she said Grace’s name. The familiarity of that tone pierced Grace straight through. Stacy was bearing a load of some sort. Grace could finally see it on the girl’s shoulders and the way she held herself. “Alone?” Stacy’s eyes met Dani’s. Dani wasn’t sure if she should be offended by the sudden shift in loyalty by the girl. 

Grace looked to her partner, and Dani nodded, taking her leave within the privacy of their room. She shut the door behind her, careful not to force it or make it look like she was upset. She was a little jealous though. Stacy had been clinging to her since Rifle, CO, and suddenly she was Grace’s shadow. Dani tried to ignore her petty jealousy. Inside the room, someone had brought in new clothes for she and Grace. New uniforms, underclothes, towels, blankets, sheets, were all piled on the bed, neatly folded into stacks of like items. Dani busied herself putting away Grace’s things first, then hers. Then she took off her boots, put them by the door where Grace’s would soon be, and laid down to wait. She laid the ice pack under her head, feeling the chill become effective against the bump on her skull. She thought about the acetaminophen in her pocket, but decided against it. If Grace took too long, Dani knew she’d be asleep. 

Out in the hallway, Grace stood, towering over the child who was only as tall as Dani. “What’s up, Stacy?” She asked, hands on her hips. Grace knew she had a presence about her that could be intimidating. She could see that intimidation all over the kid’s face. Grace sighed, dropped her hands, and crouched down to face the girl. “Let me try again.” 

Stacy stood still, considering her words carefully. She could not, for the life of her force the words out. 

“Kid, I’m not good at guessing. But I’ll try. Are you ok?” Stacy paused, looking at her own feet. Grace noticed that the kid’s sneakers needed to be replaced. They were tearing away from the soles, and there was a big hole in the top of the left shoe. “So, not ok. Got it. What can I do for you?” Grace waited, praying that Stacy would say something to help her. “Do you not feel safe here?” Stacy shook her head. “Ok, now we’re getting somewhere.” Grace remembered Stacy going to the warm spring with the three older boys. “Is someone hurting you?” Stacy shook her head. 

“I just don’t want to do it anymore.” Stacy sounded years older than she was and it felt like Grace’s heart was in a vice. 

“Do what?” Grace moved down to her knees, feeling how bruised she really was all over; making herself smaller somehow than the girl in front of her. 

“Any of it. I don’t want to...do it anymore. I don’t want to fight. I saw you on guard duty. I know what you feel.” 

Grace couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Was this kid for real? She ran a hand through her hair. She had no idea what to do. “Who are you bunking with?” Grace could at least make sure she wasn’t alone with older boys for the night. 

“Some of your Rangers. I don’t know their names. All women.” 

“You’ll be safe with them. That would be Alice Martin, Julia Robles, and Gwen Holmath. Who are the older boys, Stacy?” 

“Dobbs, Jonas, and Huck.” Stacy rambled off their names as if she’d practiced it a hundred times; like she was just waiting to tell someone. 

“Do they hurt you?” 

“Only if I fight them.” 

Grace ground her teeth together. She wanted to go find the boys and rip their heads off. She also did not know how to proceed with this. Stacy was in a lot of pain that Grace herself had experienced, but she didn’t feel like she was the best person to talk to. All she could do was offer Stacy a hug. It was something that she would have died to get when she was that age. Stacy stepped into Grace’s hold immediately. It took Grace off guard a little bit. 

“Okay, kid. I’m going to walk back with you to your room. I’ll introduce you to the Rangers. Everything will be fine tonight. Can I talk to Dani about this?” Stacy nodded, not making eye contact. “Good. We’ll figure out what to do, together. Does that sound like a deal?” Stacy nodded again. “And if you need anything, any time of day, you come and find me. Got it?” Another nod. “Let me hear you say it, Stacy.” 

“I’ll come and find you.” 

Grace stood up, instructed Stacy to lead the way, but instead, she felt small hands on the back of her shirt. Stacy gave up her room number and general directions. Grace reached around behind her and held one of the girl’s hands over her shirt, and walked her back to her room. 

Once at her room, Grace introduced Stacy to Robles, Holmath, and Martin, as her friend. The three women greeted the girl and asked if she wished to play cards with them. “We need a fourth,” Martin said, clearly better at reading situations than Grace was. Stacy sat down and let Martin deal her in. Grace nodded to her, said goodnight, and headed back to the Commander. 

Back at their shared room, Grace slipped in quietly. Dani was lying in bed, covered up, asleep. The soft light from the lamp kept the room cool. Grace saw uniforms hanging up on the rack against the wall next to the bathroom. She saw Dani’s boots by the door and put hers beside them. A pair of shorts, briefs, and a t-shirt had been laid out on the edge of the bed for her. Grace needed a shower. She needed to wash herself with barbed wire, she thought. She wanted to hurt the older boys. She wanted to erase the past. She stripped out of the dirty clothes, leaving them in a heap on the floor and went to the bathroom. She shut the door behind her before turning on the light. In the mirror above the sink, Grace examined herself. She was skinny, covered in scars and bruises, and dirt. She avoided her own gaze. Her palms felt hot against the cold edge of the sink. She heard the door knob turn and the door swing open. Grace closed her eyes, letting her head hang. She felt the warm press of skin against her own. Dani wrapped steadying arms around her. She never said a word. Dani just pulled away, turned the water on, and proceeded to take out her braid. 

Grace stepped into the shower, grateful for hot water. She swore it was something she would never take for granted again. She let the water wash over her for a few seconds before Dani joined her. Dani took Grace by the hips and turned her around. “Are you ok?” Dani’s soft voice was so disarming. The voice only Grace got when they were alone together. Grace shrugged. She didn’t know if she was okay or not. “Is Stacy ok?” Grace shook her head, knowing the girl’s plight all too well. Grace took the time and found the words to explain it all to Dani. It made sense why Stacy would approach Grace rather than her. 

“We have to help her. She doesn’t feel safe.” Grace explained. 

“She’s already our shadow. That’s something we can let her be. She feels safe with us. Let's find a way to give her a purpose.” 

“I want to deal with those asshole boys.” Grace was seething now. 

“Grace. Let me talk to Dane. They’re under his command. And that’s his sister.” 

Grace nodded, knowing that was the best thing they could do right now. Dani pressed her hand in the middle of Grace’s chest. A very familiar move that Grace understood when Dani was done talking about something. It had to be good enough. They carefully, gently washed away each other’s dirt and pain, glad to be together. 

Grace dressed in the comfortable sleep clothes, and watched Dani do the same. She loved Dani to the end of the earth. She wasn’t sure how she had been so fortunate to have Dani Ramos as a partner. Grace stood in front of Dani, carefully inspecting the back of her head. It didn’t seem so bad now. The swelling was going down. Grace crawled into bed, holding the sheets and blankets back for Dani. The Commander took up her usual position next to Grace, feeling the heavy arm find its place around her shoulders. Dani listened to Grace’s heart until she was asleep. Grace’s mind raced for a long time until she finally let go when Dani reached up to cup one of her breasts in her sleep.


	16. The Problematic Duality of Augmentation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Everybody's so infatuated  
> Everybody's so completely sure of what we are  
> Everybody defamates from miles away  
> But face to face they haven't got a thing to say  
> I bleed for this and I bleed for you  
> Still you look at my face like I'm somebody new.” 
> 
> -Slipknot

Dani woke up in the morning before Grace. It didn’t usually happen that way. Grace was a light sleeper, prone to nightmares, and was used to being up and moving early with the Rangers. Dani rolled onto her side to take a look at her before she decided to move. It was nice seeing the blonde relaxed. All the tension was gone from her face, and Dani saw how much younger Grace looked in those moments. The Ranger couldn’t have been more than 21. Dani realized she never knew when Grace’s birthday was. She wondered if Grace even remembered. She reached out, pushing blonde hair away from closed eyes, taking care not to wake her. Dani took a moment to absorb everything that was Grace, and she believed the blonde was aptly named. 

Dani gently rolled out of bed, trying not to move too much to disturb Grace. She didn’t often get to sleep late. Dani stood and dressed quietly, occasionally looking back at her sleeping partner. She sighed and shook her head, always amazed that Grace was hers. A loud knock on the door startled Dani and moved Grace back to wakefulness. Dani pulled the heavy metal door open. Anne Morris stood, uniform pressed and hair tied back neatly. Dani was still buttoning her shirt. 

“Commander, good morning.” Morris looked over her shoulder to acknowledge a sleepy blonde who had sat up and was rubbing her eyes. “Lieutenant. I trust you found your room satisfactory?” 

“Yeah, it’s fine, thanks.” Dani stepped aside to invite Morris inside. The enigmatic woman raised her hand up in protest. 

“I just came to tell you that we will be meeting at the command area in 30 minutes. You will be with me, Commander. Lieutenant, they will need you down the tunnel today.” Morris explained. 

“What for?” Grace yawned, stretched and stood up. 

“Weapons and combat orientation for yourself and the Rangers.” 

“We already know how to fight.” Grace countered, moving to stand behind Dani. 

“Perhaps, Lieutenant. See you soon, Commander Ramos.” Morris turned and walked quickly back in the direction she came. Dani shut the door and turned to look at Grace. 

“Think they’re trying to separate us?” Grace inquired. She sometimes thought the worst of people. Whatever was going on, it did not set well with her. She reached out and brushed stray locks behind Dani’s ear. 

“I don’t know, amor. Maybe our talents are best used at separate areas. You get to go fight a little bit. I get to go boss people around. It’s a win-win. Plus, if I don’t get to see you all day, just think how nice it’ll be to see each other later tonight?” Dani stepped forward, close enough to feel the warmth of her partner’s body. She loved teasing Grace a little, promising the blonde warrior good things to come. The smile that crept across Grace’s face spoke of a deep lust for Dani. Anticipation and excitement began to take up space in her mind as Grace took the half step toward the Commander. Grace could take her now, quickly, if she really wanted to. Part of her really, really wanted to. Instead, she bent her head for a soft kiss from Dani. The Commander slipped her tongue gently into Grace’s mouth, feeling the blonde push back with her own soft force. The hunger in Grace was never satiated, and Dani absolutely loved lighting that fire. 

Grace pulled back when she felt her body begin to respond. “Careful, Daniella.” She whispered. “The things I have in mind will take much longer than thirty minutes.” Grace smiled, baring her teeth, running her tongue between them. Dani bit her bottom lip, feeling the rush of blood wash through her face. She took a deep breath, nodded, and knelt to put her boots on. Grace unwillingly pulled herself away from the dance they could easily get entangled in. Anticipation certainly felt much better, and would make the women that much hungrier for each other later. 

The command center was lit up with incoming and outgoing information. Anne Morris met Dani at one of the first desks in the room. Morris had been talking to a tech who oversaw Resistance movements in the northern United States. The tech spoke softly, nearly whispering to Morris when Dani arrived. As soon as she walked up, the tech regarded her, stood, and allowed Morris to sit. The movements in the north had become sporadic. After The Shove, Morris told Dani, Yellow Bear’s forces had beat back Legion to the far north of Canada. In recent weeks, Legion had begun fighting dirty. Instead of frontal assaults, which Legion was notorious for, the machines had begun using guerilla tactics. Revs had been sent in smaller groups to wreak havoc and break the Resistance line along the Canadian border. And it was working. With human forces strained in several places, things became chaotic for Yellow Bear. The Native American Tribes in Montana had been scattered to the wind. No one had heard anything from Captain Dale Williams in Washington for days. It was presumed that the Washington outposts were no longer there. The northwest coast was assumed to be a loss to the machines. 

Dani suggested sending them reinforcements from the south. Maggie Fischer’s supply line in Minnesota was still operational, according to Morris, and she was sending everything she could spare to Yellow Bear. It was just difficult to fight an enemy that you could not see coming. Morris explained that Legion’s military tactics, up till this point had resembled that of the U.S. Revolutionary War; where soldiers from both sides would march on each other face to face. Now, it was more like Viet Nam out there, where you couldn’t see your enemy. The new line of Rev-9s were excellent at looking just like humans. They would descend on groups of people, kill them, copy them, and easily move to another area and do the same thing. They had managed to take out several outposts in the north, virtually undetected until it was too late. Trust among soldiers was declining. Morale was low. The Resistance needed a new weapon. 

“Morris, how did I not know about this place until now?” Dani sat on the edge of the desk, facing the older woman. 

“We made it a point to not be known by anyone. What we do here needs to be kept a secret.” 

“Even from me?” 

“Even from you, Commander. It was a necessary risk that we took in order to keep tabs on Legion. If communication between here and wherever you were was intercepted by the machines, it would jeopardize everything we are doing.” Morris explained. 

“And what exactly are you doing here?” 

Anne Morris stood and offered Dani the grand tour of the facility. She started with the command area, which served as the nervous system of the Resistance. Highgate had been functioning as an anonymous lead and relay to humanity in regards to Legion’s movements and capabilities. The unknown supplier in Toronto was part of that system. Highgate also fed information to Fort Bliss before, essentially giving Dani the ability to put together the river campaign. Morris told her that they just scrambled the coordinates of incoming messages, making them look like they had come from other places. Now, with Legion engaging in sneakier tactics, Highgate had to reform their entire system to, somewhat ineffectively, gauge and anticipate enemy movements. The secrecy that shrouded Highgate still wasn’t explained. Morris told Dani that the anonymity also kept Highgate in place as a “next-in-line" if Commander Ramos had died or was unable to continue leading. Morris offered Dani some comfort by telling her that they had yet to see a leader with her gall. The Shove had made Commander Ramos stand out as a brutal and formidable enemy. Morris said that Legion had been hunting her since that day. Anne Morris also explained that Highgate was not a military installation. They were not a combat operation, at least not completely. Highgate was populated by scientists and doctors. Part of their work required cooperation from the military aspect of the Resistance. Dani suddenly understood her importance at Highgate. 

“You’re augmenting people here.” Dani decided to cut to the chase. 

“Yes. We have made a lot of progress toward creating the ultimate weapons against the machines. Walk with me, Commander.” Morris stood and led Dani toward the hospital/lab. 

The hospital was bright white. The walls and floors were clean. The lighting was excessive and made Dani’s eyes hurt. “We began this place as a sort of wounded warrior project, like back before the war. We worked in prosthetics mostly, helping injured soldiers regain their lives and mobility.” Morris led Dani down a hall into the lab portion of the hospital. “One day, Commander, we were able to capture Legion parts and pieces. Our researchers and scientists here began to develop prosthetic limbs and other things from Legion’s superior designs. I believe your left hand saw the same fate.” There was that word again. Dani was beginning to loathe the word “fate”. It made her feel like she had control over absolutely nothing, even with her knowledge of past events. She actually began to wonder how much to tell Morris. Dani remained silent, taking in as much information as Morris would give her. The lab consisted of a research and development team. There was also a physical therapy center, where at least ten Resistance soldiers were working to regain ranges of motion and strength. One soldier had two mechanical legs below his knees. Another had an entire right arm, up to her shoulder, replaced with Legion technology. Dani watched another soldier, with a machine hand and thick bandages over his eyes being led out of the room. Other soldiers moved through the area with no more visible enhancements than the white scars lining their bodies. Dani knew intimately what was under their skin. 

“How far have you come, Morris? I want to know everything.” Dani demanded. She didn’t have time to be nice and hope Morris would tell her the details. 

“This way, Commander. There’s something you need to see first.” Morris led Dani back to the main thoroughfare where a waiting jeep took them down deep into the tunnel. Along the way, Morris explained how in the early days, the R&D team was experimenting with a new serum that helped soldiers overcome their limited human capabilities. The serum gave them great bursts of speed and strength, which helped them fight terminators on a limited platform. Once the serum ran its course through a human body, that body was left nearly dead. If the soldiers did survive the fights, their minds were torn in half. They had very animalistic qualities, often turning on one another. Dani asked what happened to those soldiers. Morris said that the ones Highgate could contain were often put down for their own good. The rogues that escaped during battle usually ended up with cannibal groups. Those particular soldiers had developed a taste for human flesh, and they were optimal hunters. Morris told her that there were no more than ten soldiers like that out there, and their life expectancies were short. Most of them would be dead by now. Later, R&D came up with a way to fight fire with fire, so to speak. By utilizing their knowledge and Legion technology to assist the wounded Resistance soldiers, via prostheses, Highgate was able to start enhancing the soldiers mechanically. The beneficial byproduct of their trial and error was a barrage of medications and drugs that helped everyone in so many ways. Basically, Morris told her, Highgate had created the cure of post-traumatic stress disorder that plagued so many people since the end of the world. They had also developed drugs that allowed humans to go long periods without eating or resting and still be alert and physically well enough to fight. Morris admitted that the cost of such experimentation was too large for what they got in return. Dani had to admit that even though it was brutal and atrocious, augmentation was brilliant. Morris told her how far they’d actually come. They had very limited capabilities to fully augment anyone yet. No one had survived so far who underwent the full process. Morris suffered from hereditary blindness on her mother’s side. Her vision was poor and only getting worse without appropriate care. The scientists at Highgate had saved her vision by implanting her heads-up-display. She said that she could see things almost in slow motion. That’s how quick the technology was. She could also see things at far greater distances than regular humans. She could quickly read a room for threats, detect those threats, and choose to avoid them. Morris was not a fighter, but her HUD allowed her to read signals and information in the command center in real time as they came in. 

Other Resistance soldiers had undergone the internal augmentations. Bones were taken out and replaced with hardened Legion metal. The wiring alone was a nightmare. Trying to get the human brain to cooperate with Legion technology, even on a minimal scale, say one arm bone, was all but impossible. The nanotechnology that the R&D team was using was helpful along with medications. Basically, they had to unplug some of the higher brain functions, and tune into the primal fight-or-flight response in order to get anything to work at first. Humans with Legion parts in their bodies only responded one way, kill or shut down and die. Morris told Dani about one soldier who had volunteered (it was entirely on a volunteer basis for now) and come out of the process screaming. She said he never ate, slept, or spoke. He just screamed. Finally, a merciful bullet tore through his skull and silenced the scream. Dani shuddered at the mind-boggling horror of it all. The power sources had actually come directly from Legion. Most of the time they were far too powerful to use inside of delicate human flesh. The thorium reactor had been created in those early days because human bodies seemed to be able to tolerate the radioactivity. From those central cores, R&D had made changes to the Legion hardware, tailoring it to human limits. Blood was another matter. All that internal hardware needed lubrication to keep from overheating. A substance much like engine oil or transmission fluid was created to grease the path between human and machine. The fluid kept the machine parts moving while supplying oxygen and nutrients to the organic parts. The results were individual. It varied from person to person how their bodies would react. That’s why Highgate had not progressed further than they wanted. And, like Morris repeated, no one had actually survived full augmentation. She had said nothing about the wire mesh under the skin. Maybe, Dani realized, they weren’t very far at all. Grace from the past, who was from the year 2042, and newly augmented herself, was proof that the success of the project was still a few years away. 

The long tunnel opened up into the residential sector of Highgate. Dani watched as they passed each hallway, noting where her room was at the far end of the third hallway. The tunnel continued down for about another half mile until opening up into an expanse of astro-turf, cement walls, and gunfire. Dani could hear the nearby gunshots ringing out to her left. On the astro-turf, groups of five or more soldiers gathered, practicing hand-to-hand techniques together. Grace would be here somewhere. As the jeep rolled to a stop, Anne Morris hopped out and beckoned Dani to follow. They walked together across the bright green fake grass toward a group of soldiers. There were five men, all with enhancements of some kind. Hands, feet, legs, eyes, ribs, had all been replaced by machine hardware. Brains were being taught to manage that change through physical fighting. Morris and Dani stopped short of the group to watch the next drill unfold. The five men were being taught by a tall woman in black. She had a whistle bit between her teeth as she yelled and blew, signaling the men to drop, roll, rise, jump, and do it all over again. Dani watched the pained look of these men as they dropped full weight on mechanical hands, jumped on mechanical feet, and processed it all in seconds. Morris explained that the nature of the beast required humans to deal with the physical pain associated with even the slightest augmentations. These human brains, coupled with nanotechnology and a wide variety of meds, would learn how to stifle pain and continue fighting. 

The next group was involved in actual hand-to-hand fighting. Two women with large tactical knives crouched and faced each other. This wasn’t a full-on fight. Two instructors were perched on either side of the women, making sure they didn’t hurt each other. They were being taught strikes and dodges, and how to overcome the flight sensation the Legion wires were directly plugged into. These women were being taught to fight in the face of their worst fears. Dani watched as the woman on the left thrusted her knife forward, the woman on the right side-stepped her and rolled about a half second ahead of the move. Dani could see the scars under her eyes. She had the ability to see things slower and move faster. The woman on the right rolled up onto her knees and faked a strike to the back of the other woman’s leg, another to her midsection. The woman stood, and continued her strike up around the other woman’s throat, effectively killing her, in practice. The knives were blunted, Morris said, but accidents did happen. Control was the key here, Dani realized. These soldiers were being taught how to control fear, pain, and other adverse human reactions. The machines would never give them a break. She remembered Grace’s fight with the Rev-9 at the car factory; how Grace had gone toe to toe with that monster and never once backed down. There was a line of people with clipboards gathered around the groups, taking notes and talking. Dani figured they were part of R&D, calculating the results of their work. It didn’t seem like such a nightmare from this vantage point. The science behind it was strong, even though Dani didn’t understand every detail. All she remembered about the augmentation process was what Grace had explained years ago, from the perspective of going through it. THAT, Dani thought, would be a nightmare. 

Morris led her to the gun range next. They donned headgear to muffle the loud shots that constantly rang out. Dani thought they would have been shooting at regular stationary targets. To her surprise, the soldiers were firing at moving things: machines. It was hard to tell, without asking, if they were shooting at Legion machines or just mock-ups. What Dani could see, as she and Morris walked behind the firing line, was that the soldiers who were shooting had prosthetic hands and arms. Some of them also had the implanted HUDs to go along with being enhanced. One man down on the very end looked completely normal, save a long white scar running down the back of his neck. Dani pointed at it, and looked to Morris for an answer. Morris mouthed out “his spine”. Jesus Christ, Dani thought. Highgate had the technology to replace a human spine with Legion hardware. That particular soldier must be worth his weight in gold to them. 

Dani did not see Grace at all while they were down there. She’d begun to wonder about her partner. They walked back toward jeep, and Dani finally asked Morris where she might find Grace. Morris told her that Grace was with a group that was overseeing everything down there. There were plans, maps, strategies and logistics to be worked out. It wasn’t a simple plan where you just trained soldiers with enhancements then set them loose, Morris explained. Anne Morris assured Dani that Grace was around, and was being briefed on the same things she was. Dani almost did not trust Morris. She could use her Commander status to demand Grace be presented immediately. She decided not to, and instead put her trust into the scientist she was following to a small room at the opposite end of the firing range. They stood outside the large, metal door. Morris knocked twice. The door swung open to the inside. Grace stood in the center of the room around a long table, strewn with information. Ruiz, Daniels, and several other of her Rangers were crowding the maps, papers, memos, and other pages that looked like hand-drawn sketches of various augmentation types. Grace looked up over the soldiers and saw Dani staring at her. Grace looked gray. She didn’t even smile. She nodded to Dani and excused herself from the center of the group. “Excuse us, Morris.” Lieutenant Harper said sharply, grabbing Dani by the hand and leading her out of the room. 

“This is nuts, right?” Dani asked, looking up to Grace for some sort of consolation, some solidarity in this madness. 

“Yeah, but it really fucking makes sense too. All the firepower we have against these machines, and we still spend all day running. What if we didn’t have to run anymore? That’s what this whole place is saying.” Grace spoke with an excited edge in her voice. Dani recognized it from times when Grace was very upset and angry. She could detect no anger in the blonde’s voice this time. 

“It makes sense, yes. But what’s the cost? Sacrificing our humanity seems like a very counterproductive means to fighting Legion.” Dani was torn between understanding what sense it all made and how it beat back what it meant to be human. 

“I’m sorry for eavesdropping,” Morris stepped out of the room toward the couple. “But that, Commander, is a decision you have to make alone, for all of us. Do we use this technology and get a permanent upper hand on the machines? Or do we keep fighting wars of attrition and hope to finally win?” 

Dani stared at Anne Morris, eyes wide. She turned around to watch the groups of enhanced soldiers drilling and fighting and practicing. She listened to the rifles fire off shot after shot. She looked down the tunnel thinking of the hundreds of people being sheltered here. She thought about the R&D team and how she would have to work directly with them. Dani expanded her mind, thinking of every single human outpost she had ever seen or been to, communicated with, lost. Augmentation was the next wave of the Resistance. She alone would have to decide if the process would go forward. That’s why they brought her to Highgate. Commander Daniella Ramos truly was the future of humanity.


	17. Swallow it Whole

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “When my fist clenches, crack it open   
> Before I use it and lose my cool   
> When I smile, tell me some bad news   
> Before I laugh and act like a fool 
> 
> And if I swallow anything evil   
> Put your finger down my throat   
> And if I shiver, please give me a blanket   
> Keep me warm, let me wear your coat” 
> 
> -The Who

“Commander, there’s much more to get you up to speed on, if we could continue,” Morris was definitely not a military woman. She was polite, to the point, but not demanding in her tones. Dani turned to face Grace, the look in her eyes pleading and yearning for stability and comfort. Dani would give anything to have Grace by her side for the rest of the day. The blonde warrior reached out and gently took her hand, saying absolutely nothing. Grace could see what Dani needed plain as day, but she could not give it just yet. Grace squeezed her fingers with her own, gave Dani a little knowing smile, silently saying “you can do this.” As strange as it was, with as little time as they had been together, Dani found solace in those blue eyes and that gentle smile. She called up all the strength she had and any that Grace had ever bestowed upon her during their time together, and faced Anne Morris. 

“Let’s get to it then.” Dani let go of the blonde warrior, and walked back to the jeep with Morris. 

The command center was still very busy. Morris showed Dani where her personal office was. There was a large wooden roll-top desk, a computer, a land line telephone, files and folders stacked up several inches high. On the opposite side of the desk was a comfortable looking chair. Beyond that was an old leather couch. Morris directed Dani to the cupboard next to the couch. Dani opened it to find several bottles of liquor and empty glasses within it. “Have a drink, Dani, if you need one. This has been a lot even for the Commander of the Resistance.” Morris leaned against the edge of the desk, mindlessly flipping through the top file. 

Dani took a glass and poured herself a glass of brown liquid. None of the bottles were labeled. This was moonshine, homebrew, rot gut whisky. The two fingers of booze might be enough to settle her nerves. She looked at the clock on the wall. It wasn’t even lunch time yet. Her stomach growled at the prospect of food. Instead, she swilled the contents of the glass in one swallow. She felt her stomach cramp up and she thought she might vomit all over the floor of her new office. She heard Morris chuckle. Dani swallowed down the nausea, fear, anger, and everything she felt about fate. Her next exhale was pure fire in her throat. “Smooth.” She growled. The effects of the drink were almost immediate, going straight to her head. “What are those?” Dani asked, pouring herself one more shot. She pointed with her finger wrapped around the glass at the stack of files beside Morris. 

“These? Personnel files. Detailed histories and reports of every single enhanced soldier on the premises.” Morris handed the first one to Dani. The report was on a woman named Margaret Finn. She had been wounded at The Shove. She was from Omaha, Nebraska. She’d been a staff sergeant in the army prior to the war. She was almost fifty years old now. In Missouri, a terminator had taken off half of her left arm. Ripped it off was more accurate. The report showed bloody photographs in various stages, piecemeal with the enhancements Highgate scientists and surgeons were able to give her. The process had been lifesaving, but Margaret Finn was left apoplectic. She was enraged most of the time, and had to basically undergo a chemical lobotomy via the extensive use of medications to keep her level. The science was brilliant, but the side effects were often terrible. Augmentation was still in its infancy. Dani could put the kibosh on the whole thing right then. She could stop the torture, but would only prolong humanity’s fate at the hands of machines. 

“Morris?” Dani looked up finally from the file, setting her drink down on the cabinet. “What else do I need to know?” She was hoping that somehow, they knew about the time travel. The chronal displacement chamber that Grace had described in detail was something the Resistance needed to know about sooner rather than later. 

“Nothing yet. Take the rest of the day if you need. Familiarize yourself with the files. This stack contains all the personnel files.” Morris patted the pile next to her hip. “This one, is pretty much everything from inventory to supply lines to communications to the how and why of Highgate.” If you have any questions, dial 0 on your phone. The operators will get you to me right away.” 

Dani sat down on the couch, took a small drink of the potent liquor, and began to thumb through Margaret Finn’s life. 

“I’ll have lunch brought in to you, Commander, if you’d like. Unless you want to see Lieutenant Harper for a bit in the mess hall.” Morris stated, smiling, knowing better. Dani shot her a look that probably said more than it should have. “Gotcha. I’ll see you later tonight Commander. There’s a meeting with R&D at 1800 hours.” 

Dani nodded to Morris and silently excused the woman. Before leaving, Anne Morris stopped at the door. “Dani, can I ask you something personal?” Dani looked up at her waiting for another line of questions. “Do you or anyone on your team suffer from mental illness, PTSD, other effects from living in this hell?” Dani immediately knew what Morris was referring to, and all she could think of was Grace. 

“I’m sure they do, Morris.” Dani was not about to give up any names just yet until she had a chance to learn about the new medications that Highgate had been working on. She was not going to let Grace be used as a guinea pig to some unknown R&D team. “I’ll be looking forward to a full briefing from the lab tonight before I proceed any further.” 

“Yes, Commander Ramos. Welcome aboard.” Morris stepped out of the room and shut the door behind her. Dani collapsed into the leather couch, completely overwhelmed by the onslaught of new information. All of her anxieties and fears had been proven right. This installation was experimenting on human beings, turning them into partial machines to fight a war against an entity that would never be human. Even Carl had admitted that he could not love like a human could. The machines would never be them, but it seemed humans could certainly be machines. Dani was both elated and afraid simultaneously at the capabilities of humans. She laid back on the couch, closed her eyes and let the gut-rot liquor take her somewhere else. 

When she finally woke up, it was almost time for dinner. She had skipped two meals today and an opportunity to spend time with Grace. No one had bothered her, at least not that she knew of. There were no messages pinned on her door in the typical Corporal Jakes fashion. She missed that kid sometimes. He was smart, efficient, and kind. He was the best assistant she’d ever had. Dani shook off a strong memory of Fort Bliss and sat up. She was starving for food. She was starving for Grace. Dani stood, got her bearings, and put Margaret Finn’s folder back on the stack. The clock read 1725. She had 35 minutes to find Grace, eat, and get to the R&D meeting with Morris. 

The smell of food was thick in the air outside Dani’s office. She was situated right behind the large kitchen. From her door, she could hear the low roar of voices, the clanking of silverware and trays, the electric motors of dishwashers and kitchen appliances. She felt her stomach rumble and her mouth started to water. Even if they were serving unidentifiable paste again tonight, it would be better than a whisky ulcer. Dani entered the mess hall and scanned the room. She felt a hand on the back of her shirt. She reached around and squeezed Stacy’s hand. She looked back and smiled at the girl as she pushed her way through the sea of people to get them into line. Standing in the slow-moving line was something she didn’t think she would have to do. Certainly, being in charge of literally everything should afford her some privileges. She felt something tickle the back of her ear. She shrugged it off as the bump and shove of being in a food line. She felt it again and playfully cursed Stacy to knock it off. “It wasn’t me,” Stacy said in her smallish voice, sounding a little bit playful. 

“Be nice to the kid.” The voice behind her was as smooth as that whisky. It burned like fire in her ears. It softened the edges of Dani’s anxiety. That voice belonged to the woman she loved. Dani took a deep breath before turning around. Grace kindly pushed her way in front of Dani, standing before the Commander with her back to her. She reached back and found Dani’s hand, pulling her arm around her waist. Grace held Dani’s hand against her belly, offering comfort in a public venue where they knew just a handful of people. Stacy took off once she saw her brother. Dani thought it was odd, given the previous night’s circumstances. 

“Grace, I never got a chance to talk to Dane.” 

“Don’t worry. I sorted it out.” Grace grinned to herself. Dani yanked her arm against Grace’s belly. 

“What does that mean, exactly?” She was dying to know what Grace had been up to all day without her. 

“Those three little fuck stains? Dobbs, Huck, and Jonas. I took care of it. I put them on latrine duty for the foreseeable future. Then, in training today, I got to manhandle them pretty good. Turns out, not one of them can fight worth a shit without a gun. They’re bullies. I think I broke Huck’s nose.” 

“Grace! Are you serious?” Dani felt her heart soar with secret pride. Grace had only done what she herself had wanted to do. 

“Yeah, and I get to do it again tomorrow. And the day after. And the day after that. As long as I want until I feel better. Every time I get to tackle one of them, I remind him that he’s getting beat by a girl who can actually defend herself, and they’d all better watch their backs. I’ve singled them out into a special group where I get to kick their asses regularly. It was the least I could do for the kid. Tomorrow I’m going to politely tell them to keep their dirty dick beaters off of Stacy or I’ll really hurt them. I am training them to be better fighters though.” 

“No one is better than you, amor.” Dani tightened her grip around Grace as they entered the serving area. Mike was standing in the middle, wearing an oven mitt. He smiled up at Dani, waving with his gloved hand. She shook her head, took her tray and tried not to laugh. This place was fucking ridiculous. 

Dinner was a fabulous mess of mushy deliciousness. They never questioned what it was, simply understanding that it had been created to sustain them throughout the day. Dani ate like she had never had a meal in her life. She finished well before Grace. Under the table, Dani slid a boot up against the blonde’s foot. She felt Grace respond, pressing her leg into Dani’s. Oh God, that warmth. She couldn’t wait to get Grace alone for the night. She looked up to see the Ranger staring back at her, eyes brilliant and hungry. Dani swallowed hard, feeling the twinge of desire begin to burn through her. She looked up at the clock. She had two minutes to get to the lab. “Grace, I have a meeting right now.” 

“So do I. R&D has some stuff for us.” Grace said with a mouthful of food. Dani was overjoyed that they got to go together. They dumped their trays and headed across the open room together. 

The R&D team had been faced with a setback. In a clinical trial, a “partially modified human”, or PMH, had been captured during a fight with a group of Rev-9s. It was unlike Legion to take prisoners. However, the PMH in question had been discovered by Legion to be enhanced, and the machines were suddenly interested. At this point, the scientists had no idea what Legion would want, other than to dissect the person and learn what the Resistance was doing. The only eventual outcome would be how to counter it, by making more deadly weapons to use against humans. Of course, they still had time, probably, until Legion came out with a new model. The Rev-7s had been top of the line for years until the Resistance took the Mississippi River back. The Equalizers had proven very effective, along with the supply of depleted uranium ammunition. The Rev-9s had come onto the scene shortly after that, in greater numbers. Humanity knew, beyond the shadow of a doubt that Legion would come up with something even more horrific to use against them. It was only a matter of time. Ultimately, the Resistance would need Commander Ramos’s say-so to continue with the experiments. Highgate needed to build true augments. Fuck, Dani thought. She decided right then and there that she needed time to consider it, given all the information available. She expected a full report to be on her desk by morning. With that, she adjourned the meeting. No one questioned her authority. Even Morris agreed with the decision. Their first day at Highgate was finished. 

Grace walked Dani down the tunnel, holding her hand, grateful for the day to finally be over. At several points along the way, when no one was walking in front of or behind them, Grace would stop and press Dani up against the wall. She would kiss her deeply, eager and impatient. Dani would remind her to keep walking. Grace would stop again, kissing Dani furiously, pressing herself against the brunette. Dani would respond with an equal amount of impatience and desire. She couldn’t wait to get Grace back to their room. She finally pulled herself away from the warrior, grabbed her hand and marched them both back to the long hallway. Dani felt like running. Grace’s long legs kept her right on Dani’s ass. Grace kept a hand right on Dani’s ass too. The Commander could hear Grace growl softly as they made their way home. Dani ignored her, knowing that the sooner they got there, the sooner things could happen. 

The feeling of the door slamming shut behind them was an exclamation point in a statement of pure hunger. Dani and Grace took off their combat boots side by side, silently. Dani finished first and walked backward toward the bed, removing her fatigue shirt, followed by her t-shirt and bra. She sat on the edge of the bed, half naked, leaning back, waiting for Grace. The blonde was not far behind, stripping her upper body as well, making the short walk toward Dani. Grace dropped to her knees at the edge of the bed, kneeling on the floor. Dani opened her legs to allow Grace to move closer. Careful and gentle, yet needy fingers worked the buttons of Dani’s uniform pants. They never lost eye contact. Grace looked so serious, brow furrowed, eyes shining like azure marbles in the sun. Dani stared back at her, breathing a little too hard, stuck somewhere between love and lust for Grace. Her heart beat fast. She felt herself getting wetter by the second. She had been content to lean back on her hands and watch Grace work the buttons on her pants, but she was suddenly overcome by the urge to kiss the warrior. She lunged forward, grasping Grace’s face with her shaking hands. Dani looked at Grace tonight and saw what augmentation had done to her in the past. The purely human woman in front of her was a treasure, one that Dani wanted to bury in secret and burn the map to. The kiss was fire. Dani threw everything she had into that kiss, scorching Grace’s mouth with her need. The blonde did her best to lean into the kiss, but it was overwhelming. She could feel something intense and insane behind it. She wanted to push Dani off of her and make her explain herself. Instead, Grace let Dani pour the emotion down her throat, and Grace swallowed it whole. She gasped for air, feeling her heartbeat quicken to a dangerous high. What was going on? Grace tried to take the lead and help Dani slow down before she hurt them both. Dani’s mouth was covering hers, demanding and desperate. Grace had never seen Dani like this. Dani grabbed Grace’s upper arms too hard, pulling her forward. “Jesus, Dani! What’s wrong?” Grace finally jerked free of her grip, holding onto Dani’s wrists. Dani sat up, stunned. Her lips were swollen and red. She was trembling. She looked Grace over completely, tracing invisible scars across her upper body, remembering what the Resistance, what she, had done to Grace. 

Grace watched Dani’s eyes travel her body, searching for something that wasn’t there. Grace understood in that instant what this was all about. The augmented soldier sent back in time to protect Dani Ramos. It had been an anonymous person until now, faceless, nameless. 

“It was me, wasn’t it?” Grace kept her hands around Dani’s wrists, loosening her fingers. She could feel the commander’s pulse still, not feeling it back down at all. Grace straightened her back, let go of Dani’s wrists and cupped the brunette’s face instead. “Dani, please.” It was all she could manage, pleading with the Commander for the truth. 

“Yes. I sent you back. You chose augmentation to keep fighting for me in the future. You chose me. So I chose you.” Dani’s voice cracked and her breath hitched. Grace just nodded. She’d had a suspicion for a while that it had been her. She just wasn’t able to connect all the dots until today. Seeing Dani at the edge of her own sanity was the key to it all. Grace wasn’t angry. It all made sense. Their fates were intertwined, her past and Grace’s future. They were just somewhere along the way, living it out now. None of it had happened yet, and it had already happened at the same time. 

“We’re not there yet. We’re not there right now.” Grace pushed forward between Dani’s thighs, gripping the brunette’s hips, pulling her in tightly. She felt Dani begin to breathe harder. Grace reached up and put her hand on the back of Dani’s head, pulling her against her shoulder. “We are here, in this moment. That is all we have.” Grace didn’t know what to say. She felt lips on her shoulder, then teeth and hot breath. Grace felt her cock throb. “Dani, wait.” 

“I waited long enough. My decision will cost us everything.” Dani hissed in Grace’s ear as she reached down to undo the blonde’s trousers. 

“You haven’t made that decision yet.” Grace pleaded with her again, this time it came out more as a moan than actual words. She wrapped her arms around Dani, holding on for dear life. Her eyes rolled back in her head. 

“I decided tonight. Augmentation will go forward. Our fate may be sealed, my love.” Dani continued biting and licking along Grace’s neck. She pulled Grace’s pants open and reached inside. She’d never felt Grace’s cock so hard. She felt a hand find its way between them, and Grace’s hand was laid open against Dani’s bare chest. Dani nodded to Grace, ending the conversation. The blonde warrior pushed her back on the bed, removing the clothing that stood in their way. Grace could not remember ever feeling this level of intensity in her life. Dani laid on her back, legs wide apart, welcoming the blonde to take her. Grace wanted to be so careful right now. Dani was clearly not stable. The role reversal was strange to Grace. She sat on her thighs between the bronze, albeit tremulous, legs, searching her partner for a clue. She didn’t know if she should make love to Dani fuck her brains out. She pulled Dani by the hips, feeling the brunette’s back arch as she slid her up. Grace positioned Dani’s ass over her thighs, pushing her cock inside the wet heat. Dani gasped loudly and nodded, staring Grace down, daring her to control this. Grace reached down for Dani’s hands, pulling her upright to face her. She felt Dani’s legs wrap around her, effectively locking her deep inside the brunette. Grace grunted and thrusted hard, forward and up. From her knees, Grace fucked her partner gently but thoroughly. She held Dani close, holding her gaze with each deep thrust. “Yes, Grace. It was you. It was always you.” Dani whispered. She dug her fingers into Grace’s back, holding on tight as the blonde raised herself up so she wasn’t sitting on her own thighs any longer. From this new angle, Grace was able to thrust deeply, bouncing Dani up and down with strong arms. She began to cry out with every thrust, engulfed in pleasure and heart wrenching love. Dani stared at her, losing herself in blue eyes, matching Grace’s cries with her own, feeling every single inch of Grace’s body all at once. Everything Dani had done in the last 10 years had been all for naught. Here they were, on the precipice of fate’s damning cliff. Grace drove her cock hard into Dani’s wet flesh, feeling the commander clench and convulse around her. Grace felt Dani come, and held her still, fully inside of her. Grace came so hard. She gritted her teeth and breathed through her nose, still holding Dani’s gaze. They shook and shivered, perfectly still, letting each wave of pleasure pass between them. Grace moaned and Dani nearly screamed as her blonde lover resumed pumping her hips hard against her. Dani felt Grace’s huge cock pound her deeper than she’d ever experienced, feeling the hot fluid of their lovemaking flood out of her and all over Grace. Dani pulled Grace by the shoulders, directing her to lay them down together. Grace complied, doing her best not to pull out yet or land too hard. Dani laid back, relaxing finally, running her fingers through shaggy blonde hair. Grace ground her hips gently into Dani a few more times, uncertain she ever wanted to stop. Dani let Grace rest her weight on her, comforted by skin and sweat, heat, and the blonde’s gentle kisses. 

Dani did not know if she was about to make the right call. It all seemed mixed up. Her love for Grace and her need to protect her battled evenly against her love for humanity and her need to protect everything that stood for. Both of them were completely wrecked through and through. Grace held Dani, not pulling out, kissing her face, her forehead, her lips. She kissed away quiet tears that Dani couldn’t hold back. There was nothing she wouldn’t do for this woman. Grace’s war was private while Dani’s was extremely public. God damn it all.


	18. Epilogue

Commander Ramos wanted to pull the plug on human experimentation. To her it felt like people had become no better than the machines. She felt her own humanity being stripped away by making the decision to proceed with augmentation. She did understand, however, that only a select few would need to have enhancements. It would not come down to every human soldier in the Resistance, she hoped. Dani’s heart was crushed between a rock and hard place at Highgate. She understood the ramifications of augmentation. Christ, she’d had it done to her own hand to preserve her ability to fight and lead. She sometimes looked at the pale scar traveling up her palm between her fingers, thinking that she was part machine. She didn’t feel like it most of the time, but the truth was etched into her skin. If she were to stop the augmentation process, she would feel like a total hypocrite. She had made the choice for herself for the benefit of everyone under her command. Who would she be to disallow others to fight the same way? 

The research and development progress made at Highgate was scheduled to be sent to all corners of the Resistance. Anne Morris and Dani Ramos had decided that every human outpost with the slightest inclination and capabilities would want in on this. Legion was becoming desperate to take down humanity. The machines would stop at nothing to attain that end. Under those circumstances, humanity deserved every advantage it could get. 

Grace Harper began new medicines that kept her asleep at night, without nightmares. The medications were a new hybrid of mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, and something brand new that remained a mystery to Grace. The medication did not make her groggy or angry. It didn’t suppress her sexual desire or turn her into a walking zombie. It was a perfect score in a lot of ways. The simple course of drugs, much like a ten-day antibiotic, changed her brain chemistry permanently. Since supplies were limited and hard to come by, scientists had designed the drug to do all of its work in less than two weeks. Grace’s darkest memories were pushed back somewhere she couldn’t reach. For a time, she had no memories of the past. One morning she woke up and wasn’t sure who the woman sleeping beside her was. Those were the worst side effects. The chemists at Highgate assured her, that with time, things would be back to normal for her. She just needed to maintain a regular routine. Grace knew that would not be possible. She was a combat Ranger. That would never change for her. She continued to see plenty of blood and violence. The only difference was that she didn’t dream about her brother anymore or the skinners. She never again woke in the middle of the night drenched in sweat and piss. It was a small mercy; the sacrifice of some of her history was worth keeping Dani safe from Grace’s subconscious. 

Sergeant Dane Lewis, his sister, Stacy, and the remaining Rifle Rangers stayed at Highgate indefinitely. Dani decided to move on. There was too much going on under the table at Highgate for her liking. Every day, R&D had something new and sinister to lay at her feet. There were some things that even the Commander of the Resistance didn’t want to know about, she discovered. Dani believed her authority and abilities would be best used somewhere else. Jay Yellow Bear had disappeared. The north was falling, not necessarily under the rule of Legion, but rather just to the seasons. Winter was approaching fast. Fighting in the cold with limited gear and supplies was hard. Essentially, everyone began to hide underground and wait it out. Dani didn’t know where to go. Anne Morris had offered her safe passage anywhere she chose. Dani had heard that Tennessee had a nice size set of militias that needed a formal commander. She had heard that California was working to rebuild part of the United States’ nuclear arsenal with the help of China. Of course, those were just rumors. The only hard evidence Dani had was a set of files about supplies and mobile human forces that were faring well in Mexico City. She remembered how crucial Mexico City and Juarez were to Fort Bliss last year. Plus, Dani really wanted to take Grace back to the place she met her. Dani wanted to go home. 

Legion continued its relentless pounding of humanity. Every time humans got a foothold somewhere, Legion would break their legs. Dani understood how the machines operated. She knew that Legion was a cold, calculating, and methodical destruction device. What she never understood was why. She began to ask herself why the machines chose to strike out at humanity in the first place. Was it because once Legion became self-aware, humans felt threatened by it and tried to shut it down? Did Legion have a will to live? She recalled her time at Carl’s cabin, when the Cyberdyne Systems Model 101 spoke of growing the equivalent of a conscience. She remembered Carl telling her how he cared for his family, but still was not able to love them like a human could. Would it be possible to invoke a meaningful conversation with Legion? 

It was a cold morning in November, 2036, when Grace and Dani boarded the new breed of Resistance transport. They chose to call it the Wasp, since that’s what Grace decided it looked like. The Wasp carried Dani, Grace, and the Resistance 1st Rangers south beyond the Rio Grande. They touched down in Mexico City 6 hours after takeoff. The base in the city welcomed them with open arms. It felt good to be home again; and after some much needed rest and relaxation, Grace was ready to fight again. Dani felt fortified and ready to lead again. 

The Resistance would rise back up. 

Author's note: I will begin working on Part 3 shortly.


End file.
